An Epic Life, Part 1:Shadows of War
by AceNavalPilot
Summary: In the near future, the girls and guys, now in their 20's, get involved in a war between North Korea and US. Rated T for some language and a death in a later chapter. WillXMatt, IrmaXRobert, TaraneeXNigel, CorneliaXCaleb, Hay LinXEric, KimXRon
1. Prologue

Prologue

In the year 2009, Robert Castellanos enlisted into the Navy and began serving in active duty for four years as a surface sonar technician.

After serving his enlistment, he moved to Middleton in the year 2014 and met Kim Possible, with whom he became great friends.

Two years later, he moved to Heatherfield, a coastal city 23 miles south of San Francisco, where he met Will Vandom, Cornelia Hale, Taranee Cook, Hay Lin, Elyon Brown, and Irma Lair.

Irma and Robert fell in love soon after meeting and began going out on dates.

They later enlisted into the Naval Air Service and went into basic flight training, followed by training on flying the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet tactical strike fighter jet. During training, they met Kim.

Not surprisingly, Kim and Irma became great friends quickly. After basic training, they went into the officer's program and became Naval Officers before being sent off to basic flight school in Pensacola, Florida.

There, they learned basic flight techniques using T-45C Goshawk training jets. After earning their pilots' wings, they were sent to F/A-18 training at NAS Lemoore.

During the training, the three went through many tough tests, such as the centrifuge, in which they were tested to see if their bodies could withstand the 7.5G's that the F/A-18 could sustain.

They all passed with flying colors. They then went into a special water tank in which they practiced surviving in the water until rescued.

They also tested their bodies to see if they can withstand the stresses of ejection without spinal compression.

They then went into a parachute simulation area in which they practiced parachute landings. After all that, they found out that they all had passed and progressed to the flight simulators.

Once they were done with that, they went on practice sorties in real aircraft.

After training was over, twelve weeks later, they earned their Super Hornet pilot's wings and were assigned into the newly formed Shadow Squadron(VFA-180), led by Captain Steve Barkin, Jr.

A month later, the pilots were going to be deployed at Pearl Harbor. They were allowed a week to relax before they went on duty.

Robert and Irma decided to take a vacation to San Diego while Kim went to spend the week at home in Middleton with her family to prepare for the deployment.


	2. PreDeployment

Chapter 1: Pre-deployment vacation

Part 1: Arrival

27, January 2017, 8:00AM

Location: San Diego, CA

Robert and Irma had just arrived in San Diego for their vacation to relax before they report to NAS Sheffield to receive their first set of orders. They checked into the Embassy Suites hotel and got a room on the top floor with an excellent view of the ocean. They spent the next hour figuring out how they were going to spend their first day of their vacation. Irma was looking for local attractions on the Internet while Robert was watching "Futureweapons".

"Hey, how about we hit the zoo today?" Irma asked Robert.

"Sounds like fun, let's go!" Robert replied as they got ready to go. They then made their way to the zoo and started their self-guided tour.

"Awww, how cute!" Irma cooed as they saw the meerkats. "Yeah, they sure are." Robert replied.

"Hey, you wanna take a picture with them?" he asked. "Sure, I'd love to!" Irma replied as she sat down next to the meerkats viewing window.

Robert then took the picture with his cell phone camera. They later proceeded to the Reptile House. "Wow, this one is huge!" Irma said, referring to an iguana that was relaxing on a branch.

"Yeah, it is!" Robert said as he got out his camera. He took a picture of the iguana and one of Irma next to the window. Later on, they went to ride on the Skyfari aerial tram.

"Wow, this view is amazing!" Irma said as the tram reached its maximum height.

"Yeah, it is; like you!" Robert replied. Irma blushed and giggled briefly. "Oh, Robert, you know how to make me smile!" she said as she planted a kiss on Robert's cheek. After they got off, they went to see the birds of prey.

"Awesome, I've always wanted to see one of those!" Irma said as they saw a bald eagle perched in a branch of a tree in the exhibit. Robert and Irma took a lot of pictures. They then proceeded to the panda exhibit. Irma and Robert took a lot of pictures there. The happy couple eventually made their way to the Owens Rainforest Aviary. As they walked through, a couple of birds landed on Irma's shoulders.

"Looks like these ones like you." Robert said as he took a picture.

"Yeah, they're cute." Irma replied. Later they went back to their hotel room.

Part 2: Midway

28, January 2017, 10:00AM

Robert and Irma decided to spend the day at the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum. Once on the ship, they each picked up an audio tour device and headset and began their tour. "Wow, this is what they slept on?" Irma asked as they were looking at the bunks in the sleeping area.

"Yep, they're small, but comfy." Robert replied. They then proceeded to the forecastle.

"Holy…, those chains are huge!" Irma exclaimed after seeing the anchor chains. They then finished touring the forward hangar deck and moved on into the second, third and fourth decks. One of the things they saw was one of the bomb elevators. "Wow, so that's how they get the weapons up to the flight deck from storage." Irma said. "

Yep, that's how they do it." Robert replied.

An hour later, they proceeded up to the aft hanger deck. "Wow, are those real?" Irma asked, referring to the line of ejection seats in front of a large screen that showed footage of pilots ejecting out of their planes in various emergencies.

"Yep, they are, but they've had their rocket motors removed." Robert replied.

"Hey, Irma, wanna take a ride or two in those in a while?" Robert asked, referring to the nearby flight simulators.

"Sure, after we have check these out." Irma replied, referring to the aircraft cockpits. "OK, but first, let's see what's up on the flight deck." Robert replied. "Sounds like a plan to me!" Irma replied as they went up to the flight deck.

The view was awesome, to say the least. Parked on the Navy docks at North Island was the USS Nimitz. Robert got a picture of the Nimitz with his digital camera, as well as a cruise ship which was docked at the nearby cruise ship terminal. Robert also took a picture of Irma next to the F-14A Tomcat, and one with the Fresnel lens, as well as one with the E-2A Hawkeye and the A-6 Intruder.

"I like this view; it's so beautiful." Irma said as they explored the flight deck. "What do you want to do now?" Robert asked.

"I wanna take a look inside the island." Irma replied. They then got in line to take the tour of the island superstructure. Robert and Irma stood wide-eyed as they listened to the guide's lecture.

After the tour of the bridge, Robert and Irma went outside. "Hey, Robert, check this out!" Irma said, pointing to a location in the water. Robert looked and saw a Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser. Robert saw the number and recognized it right away.

"No way!" he said. "What is it?" Irma asked.

"That's the ship I was stationed on as a sonar tech four years ago." Robert replied. They then went back to the flight deck to finish their tour of the ship.

After exploring the flight deck, they went back down to the hangar deck. Once there, they sat on the ejection seats and watched the ejection footage. After they were done with that, Irma got a picture of Robert in each of the cockpits, and Robert got pictures of Irma in the cockpits. They then went on the Mach Combat simulator. They went in one that had the two-seat cockpit of an F-4 Phantom fighter and enjoyed some fast-paced action.

Robert sat in the front seat and "flew" the "plane" while Irma rode "shotgun" in the rear seat. After they were done, they went on the Strike Fighter 360 motion simulator. Irma at first had control, with Robert giving her some guidance. "I've had enough for now, you take over." Irma answered as she gave Robert control of the action.

They shot down a total of 18 enemy planes in both simulators. When they got off, Robert and Irma took a ride in the third and final simulator. By the time it was over, Irma and Robert were slightly dizzy from all of the motion they experienced over the past ten minutes. After taking a look in the gift shop, they went back to their hotel room, where they relaxed and reminisced about the day's events while watching "Top Gun".


	3. The war begins

Chapter 2: The North Korean War Begins

Part 1: First Contact

2, June 2017, 12:00N

Location: Over San Diego

The team was on an air combat practice flight with live missiles over San Diego when they were alerted by the air traffic controller of a contact out to the west. Commander: "Command Room to Shadow Squadron. We have a leaker, aircraft type unknown, twenty miles out, bearing 284. Buzzman, your flight is the only one close enough to make the intercept."

"Alright, guys this is it, your first real intercept. You ready?" Steve asked.

"Yeah! Ready anytime!" Irma responded.

"Let's do it!" Kim replied.

"Yeah!! Bring it on!" Robert said.

"I like that attitude! Let's roll!" Steve said as they headed out to intercept the contact. They were surprised when they saw that it was a Tu-95 Bear bomber. "What's a Bear doing all the way here?" Robert asked.

"I don't know, but I think we should check this out." Steve replied. "Attention, unidentified aircraft, you are in restricted US military airspace; squawk ident and proceed west out of the area." Steve said as he radioed the bomber's crew.

"Shadow 1 to Tower, contact is not squawking, request instructions." Steve said. "Shadow 1, Tower; escort the contact to base for identification." The controller responded.

"Attention, unidentified aircraft, we will escort you to Naval Air Station North Island. If you do not comply, we will use deadly force against you." Steve said to the bomber. The bomber turned away and began flying west.

Robert got close to the bomber and made a chilling discovery. "Shadow 1, this bomber has North Korean markings, I say again, this bomber has North Korean markings!" he said to Steve on the radio. Suddenly, the bomber's tail-mounted machine gun turret pointed itself at Kim's plane! Kim barely managed to avoid the burst of gunfire that came a second later.

"Tower, the bomber has attempted to shoot down one of my planes, request permission to engage." Steve said. "Roger, contact confirmed hostile. Cleared to engage." The ATC replied. "Roger that! All Shadow units engage!" Steve ordered.

Robert got behind the bomber, armed his weapons and hit it with a burst from his Vulcan. The bomber burst into flames and blew apart. "Shadow 4, splash 2!" Robert called out as they all watched the remnants of the bomber go down.

"Shadow Flight, your patrol is complete, return to base." The ATC ordered. "Wilco." Steve replied as the aircraft landed at North Island. The pilots later learned that any information regarding the encounter with the bomber was to remain classified until further notice.

Part 2: Second Bomber Encounter

3, June 2017, 9:29AM

Location: 1 mile west of San Diego

A pair of Tu-95s with similar markings to the one that was encountered attempted to penetrate American military airspace over San Diego from the west. Despite many warnings, the aircraft continued to fly through restricted skies.

The Shadows were sent in to intercept the planes.

"This is AWACS, callsign Sentinel; escort the targets to the ground. Do not fire at the targets, I say again; do not fire at the targets." AWACS called in.

"Copy, Sentinel, you hear that, guys?" Steve asked.

"Roger." Kim replied.

"Roger." Irma replied.

"Roger." Robert replied.

"Good, let's go." Steve said as they turned to make the intercept. Steve then spotted the bombers.

"Tally-ho! We have company, let's go!" Steve said over the radio as they closed in.

In a few minutes, they are behind the bombers. "Hey, Blaze, You mind sending the surrender request for us?" Steve asked Robert.

"With pleasure, sir! Testing...Testing! Attention, unidentified aircraft, you are in restricted U.S. military airspace, squawk ident and vacate the area immediately!" Robert radioed to the bombers.

"Good!" Steve said, impressed by Robert's message. "We will direct you to Naval Air Station North Island. Lower your gear if you understand." Robert continued. The bombers aimed their guns at the American fighters and fired several bursts.

"WHOA, WATCH OUT!" Steve ordered as the planes jinked around and backed off. "Sentinel, Shadow 1, we've been fired on, request permission to engage." Steve said.

"Roger cleared to engage." AWACS responded. "Get 'em, Blaze!" Steve ordered as Robert armed his weapons. He switched to his AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles and locked onto the first bomber.

"I've got tone." Robert said as the lock-on tone sounded. "Shadow 4, fox two!" Robert called out as he pressed the trigger to fire the missile. The missile flew off of the starboard wingtip rail and rocketed towards the bomber. The missile hit the bomber, tearing off its right wing.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the missile hit. Luckily, the bomber crashed in the hills just east of MCAS Miramar. Robert then locked onto the other bomber. "I've got tone!" Robert said as the missile locked on.

"Shadow 4, fox two!" he called out as he fired the other Sidewinder. The missile struck the bomber just as it turned to evade the missile. "Shadow 4, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the bomber slam into the hills just east of the first bomber crash site.

"We've confirmed the kills, Shadow Flight, good shooting." AWACS said as the Shadows returned to base. "I don't know what's going on, but I have a feeling that it's going to get worse." Robert said minutes later in the pilots' lounge.

"Yeah, but if it does get worse, we'll be ready for it." Irma replied. "Yeah, we will be ready." Robert said. Little did any of the team's pilots know that things were going to get worse really soon.

Part 3: Conway's shootdown

5, June 2017, 10:00AM

Location: 5 miles west of San Diego

A ship that looked like some kind of aircraft carrier has been sighted in U.S. waters. At the same time, several recon UAVs have been seen over San Diego. The Shadow squadron has been sent to destroy the drones, but they have also been ordered to not fire at the ship.

"I have radar contact with the drones. All planes, engage!" Robert kicks it off by firing an AIM-120D AMRAAM at the first group of drones. "Shadow 4, fox three!" he called out as he fired the missile. "Shadow 1, fox three!" Steve called out as he fired an AMRAAM.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as she fired.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Irma called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off towards its target. A minute later, the missiles hit the drones, destroying them. "Shadow 4, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Irma called out as her target disappeared from her radar and HUD.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Steve said as his missile took his target out. "Good kills, Shadow Flight, good work." AWACS said. A minute later, the group acquired the next group of four drones.

"I've got tone." Robert called out as he acquired one of the drones on his APG-79 AESA radar. "Shadow 4, fox three!" he called out as he fired the missile.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Steve called out as one of his AMRAAMs flew off.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as she took her shot.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Irma called out as she launched her missile. Within minutes, the missiles hit their targets. "Shadow 4, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit his fifth victim, which officially made him an ace.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Irma called out as her target disappeared from her radar and HUD.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Steve said as his missile took his target out. That group turned out to be the last group of drones. "Shadow, we have three bogies approaching bearing 284." Sentinel said.

"What, same vector as last time?!" Steve asked. "Roger, same heading as last time, 284." Sentinel answered.

"Jeez! These guys must be nuts!" he said as the F/A-18Es turned to engage. "Think you guys can handle a real dogfight?" Steve asked his fellow pilots. His wingmen responded by engaging the hostile aircraft.

A brief dogfight ensued, but the Shadow team turned the tables quickly. "I've got tone!" Robert called out as his missile locked onto one of the three Su-27Ks that had arrived in the area.

"Shadow 4, fox two!" he called out as he fired an AIM-9X Sidewinder at the Flanker. The missile T-boned the Flanker and blew it to bits. "Shadow 4, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the enemy pilot eject.

"Shadow 3, fox two!" Irma called out as she fired a Sidewinder at another Flanker. The missile went up the Flanker's starboard tailpipe and detonated.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Irma called out as she watched her third victim turn into a fireball. Robert locked onto the last remaining Flanker.

"Shadow 4, fox two!" he called out as his missile flew off of the port-side wingtip launch rail. The missile hit the bottom of the Flanker's fuselage and detonated, splitting the aircraft in two.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched his seventh victim go down in flames. "Airspace sanitized, good work, Shadow Flight." AWACS said. Suddenly, the intelligence vessel fired a surface-to-air missile at Irma's plane!

"Tsunami, you've got a missile! Break right!" Robert ordered. But Steve came in and got the missile to chase his plane. He tried to shake it off, but it hit him in the left wing, tearing it in two. "Captain!" Kim called out.

"Hey! Save the waterworks! I'm just gonna punch out here! We can replace these planes, it's getting the crew home safely that counts!" Steve said before he ejected out of his plane, and landed in the water below.

"Warning! Warning! Shadow Flight! Head to the Ronald Reagan and land there immediately!" AWACS ordered.

"But the chopper isn't here yet!" Irma said. "Leave that to the rescue team! Land on the carrier, refuel, rearm, and stand-by for further orders! The enemy has declared war on us!" AWACS replied.

"WHAT!?" Irma said.

"No way!" Kim said.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Robert said. And so, the three pilots headed to the USS Ronald Reagan, which was on its way towards the Hawaiian Islands.

Captain Steve Conway's parachute was found by the Sea Hunters Navy helicopter rescue team a few minutes later. All that they saw was the chute and the retreating enemy intelligence-vessel. There was no sign of him anywhere. As of now he is considered MIA. A few days later, 11 new aircrew members joined the squadron fresh from flight training.

Part 4: The War Begins

10, June 2017, 1:00PM

Location: Pearl Harbor

North Korea has declared war on the U.S. It has been confirmed that they are responsible for the other engagements over the last few days. At the same time they declared war, they launched a surprise air attack on Pearl Harbor. They were targeting the area's naval and air bases. Planes from all of the air bases scrambled to intercept the enemy strike planes. The Shadow team has launched from the Ronald Reagan and rushed to the fight.

"This is Sentinel to Shadow, Hero, you lead the formation." AWACS ordered. "Negative, Blaze, you take the lead. I'll cover you." Kim replied.

"Hero! Follow your orders and take the lead!" AWACS ordered again.

"No. Blaze is leading. I am NOT gonna lose another wingman." Kim replied. Just then, An F/A-18E Super Hornet of VFA-115 Eagles, piloted by Captain Jackson Thomas, flew by them. "

Quit screwing around, this is war! The enemy's all over and if you let your guard down for even a second, they'll eat you alive! Swordsman to Sentinel, give me the next target vector." Jackson said. All of the warships in the harbor were trying to escape into open waters, one of which was the USS Gerald R. Ford. Many transmissions flooded the radio airwaves:

"This is the destroyer Russell, facilities have taken heavy damage! Two ships have also been hit!"

"This is the missile cruiser Port Royal, the barge in front of us, you have to move away!"

"Oh, my, this sounds bad!" Kim said as they arrived in the battle zone.

"It IS bad. They're coming from all directions!" Robert said. "Let's get 'em!" Taranee said. With that, the Shadow Squadron went into battle. The North Korean War has begun! The squadron began establishing a barrier CAP around the harbor.

"We're almost out of the harbor! Someone cover us!" Captain Anderson (CO of the USS Gerald R. Ford) said. "Ford, Sentinel, We have multiple Frogfoots heading your way! Shadow Flight, head out to intercept!" AWACS replied.

"Wilco! Ford, we're heading your way now!" Robert said. "Roger, cover us while we get out!" Anderson replied. The team headed out to escort the fleet out of the harbor.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he ripple-fired four of his AIM-120Ds at a group of Su-25 Frogfoots that were approaching the harbor. The squadron split off to secure the area. After a minute, the missiles hit.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he engaged the next wave.

He and three of his wingmen then locked onto a group of Tu-22 Backfire bombers that were approaching.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" he called out as he fired the missile.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" Caleb called out as he fired an AMRAAM.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as she fired.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off towards its target. A minute later, the missiles hit the bombers, destroying them. "Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb said as his missile took his target out.

"Good kills, Shadow Flight, good work." AWACS said. A minute later, the group acquired the next group of four Su-25s.

"I've got tone." Robert called out as he acquired one of the Frogfoots on his APG-79 AESA radar. "Shadow 1, fox three!" he called out as he fired the missile.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" Caleb called out as one of his AMRAAMs flew off.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as she took her shot.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as she launched her missile. Within minutes, the missiles hit their targets.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit his fifteenth victim.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as her missile hit its mark.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb said as his missile took his target out. "Airspace is sanitized; I say again, airspace is sanitized!" AWACS said. Just then, a voice came onto the radio.

"This is the port captain, the ships have been evacuated safely." the voice said.

"All enemy aircraft have been destroyed! We saved the fleet!" AWACS said. "Well, we're all safe. Let's go home." Robert said. _I still can't believe that all my friends are here flying with us! _Irma thought as they landed on the USS Gerald R. Ford.


	4. First Leave

Chapter 3: First leave

Part 1: First Day

14, June 2017, 7:00PM

Location: Heatherfield, CA

The pilots of the Shadow Squadron had gone on a 1-week leave, which they decided to spend in Heatherfield. They started off the day by watching movies and playing video games. "What do you want to do now?" Robert asked six hours later.

"Hmm, I know, how about we have some fun in the basement range?" Cornelia suggested. "Sounds good to me." Robert replied.

They went to the basement, and into the underground shooting range. Robert turned on the ventilation fans as Irma got the guns ready. Robert got the AK-47 7.62X39 semiautomatic assault rifle and the Glock-17 9mm semiautomatic pistol, while Cornelia got the Desert Eagle .357 magnum semiautomatic pistol and the Barrett M82 .50-caliber sniper rifle. Irma got the AR-15 .223-caliber semi-automatic assault rifle and the Berretta M92F 9mm semiautomatic handgun. The three put in their earplugs and loaded their guns after setting up their targets. Starting with the rifles, they took aim, got into their shooting stances and began shooting. Cornelia fired only one magazine of the .50 caliber because the intense recoil was making her shoulder hurt. She continued with the Desert Eagle. Irma and Robert each finished their first magazine and waited until Cornelia was done before checking on their targets. After seeing the damage, they put up new targets before continuing. After going through two more magazines, Robert and Irma switched to their pistols. After they fired off their first magazines, Cornelia put the guns she was using in the safe and sat nearby to watch Irma and Robert continue with their gunnery fun. After firing two more magazines each, they stopped shooting.

"Wow, I think that that's enough for now." Irma said as she blew the excess smoke from her gun's barrel.

"Yeah, we might as well let these cool down for a while." Robert replied. "Yeah, that, and my shoulder is sore from firing that 50-cal." Cornelia added. After letting the gun smoke vent out, the three went upstairs.

At 12:45PM, they decided to have lunch in the back patio, enjoying the fresh air. An hour afterwards, they went inside, changed into their swimsuits and jumped into the pool.

"Ahhh, yeah, that's so relaxing!" Cornelia said as they surfaced from their first jump.

"Tell me about it, I've never felt so relaxed in a pool!" Robert replied. Irma was relaxing on an inflatable, enjoying the cool summer breeze. Suddenly, Cornelia came up from below and pushed her off, causing Irma to scream as she fell in. Irma came up and glared at Cornelia.

"Corny! What the hell was that for?" she asked.

"What? I just wanted to have fun!" Cornelia replied as she tried to keep herself from laughing. Irma climbed back onto the inflatable as she gave Cornelia a grin.

"Next time, I'm pushing YOU off!" Irma said as Cornelia climbed out. She went onto the diving board and the others cleared the deep end. Cornelia then dove off and managed to do a couple of flips before she went in.

"How was that?" she asked as she surfaced.

"That was pretty good, I never knew you were good at diving." Irma replied. They got out and dried off before going back inside.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Robert asked as they got ready to sleep that night.

"I was thinking of taking a trip to Magic Mountain." Irma replied. "Sounds like fun, we should bring Cornelia and Caleb, too! It can be a double-date!" Robert replied as he turned out the lights. They fell asleep and dreamed of the fun that was to come the next day.

Part 2: Fun Time

15, June 2017, 7:00AM

Location: Valencia, CA

The next morning, the three got up early and began getting ready for a trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain. They got into Irma's minivan and they drove off. As they drove, the girls began to sing along to the radio. _Wow, these women are good!_ Robert thought as the girls sang on. He was right, they sounded beautiful! After 1 hour, they reached the park. After they got through the entrance, they began their fun.

"Who wants to go on the Colossus with me?" Irma asked. Cornelia and Robert looked at each other and nodded with a smile.

"Let's go!" Cornelia replied. "Bring it on!" Robert said. They stood in line for the coaster. When they got on the train, Cornelia was clearly nervous.

"This is the first time I've ever been on one of these." she said as the train left the platform.

"C'mon, Corny! This is almost like flying our jets." Irma said. Their anxiety was building as the train reached the top of the lift hill.

"Hang on, sweetheart, 'cause here…we…gooooooooooo!" Robert said as the train started to accelerate. Irma and Cornelia could be heard screaming with delight as the train cleared the first hill.

"OH, MY GOD! THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!!" Cornelia screamed as the train went around the first turn.

"SEE? IT'S NOT SO BAD!!!!" Irma yelled back as the train went over the next hill. The screams continued throughout the whole ride, until they pulled into the station. "Wow…that was so…cool!" Cornelia said when they got off.

"I told you it wouldn't be so bad." Irma replied.

"Now what do you girls want to do?" Robert asked.

"Follow me." Irma said as she walked towards the Goliath. "Wow, it's huge!" Cornelia exclaimed as they got in line.

"This one looks a bit more intense." Robert said. "Yeah, it is." Irma replied as they got in line. When they got on, they rode in the front car, sitting together. As the train went up the lift hill, they looked around to enjoy the view (while they could).

"Hey, I can see the van from here!" Cornelia said as she pointed to the parking lot. "Wow, I see it tooooooooooooo!" Irma replied as the train got to the top and began to accelerate.

"HOOOLYYYYYYY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!" Irma screamed as they went through the tunnel at the bottom of the hill. Caleb clung to Cornelia, while Irma clung to Robert as they got over the next hill. Two minutes later, the train pulled into the station.

"That was intense!" Cornelia said as they got off. "Think you can handle one more?" Irma asked.

"I think I can handle it." Caleb replied. "Good, 'cause I'm thinking of riding the Ninja!" Irma said.

"Bring it on!" Cornelia said. "Sounds good to me!" Caleb added. They headed to the Orient Express to head to Samurai Summit, where the Ninja was located.

"This seems a bit relaxing." Cornelia said. "Yeah, but later on, it's gonna be a totally different story." Irma replied as the tram began moving. In just two minutes, they were on the other side, at Samurai Summit. They rushed to get in line for the Ninja.

After a half-hour wait, they got on board. "I wonder what this one's going to be LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!!!!!!!" Cornelia said as the train went over the initial drop. "WHOOOOHOOOOOO!" Irma screamed as the train went over the sharp turns. The ride lasted about three minutes and by the time it was over, Cornelia had a death-grip on the restraint apparatus.

"OK, that first drop came WAAY too soon!" Cornelia said. "What's the matter, Corny? That one too much for you?" Irma asked jokingly. Cornelia glared at her, but after a second, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Let's hit something less intense." she said. "Yeah, I think we've had enough roller coasters for one time." Irma agreed.

"Let's go on the Sky Tower first, since it's nearby." Cornelia suggested. "Yeah, let's start with that." Irma said. They proceeded to the tower, where they waited five minutes for the elevator. Once in the elevator, they brought their cameras out, ready for any photo ops that come up. After a minute and a half, they reached the observation area. Robert checked his watch, which read, "3:03PM".

"Hey, get one of me in this!" Cornelia said as she sat in the lone roller coaster seat. Irma and Robert each took a picture, then Irma got into the seat and Robert and Cornelia each took a picture. Robert then got in and the girls each took a picture of him.

"There's a funny story about my last time up here." Robert said. "What?" Irma asked.

"My father took a picture of the view, but it was getting dark, so the lights were on. In the picture, it had a light reflected off the window, but he made a joke, saying that it was a UFO!" Robert said. "Yeah, your father is one funny guy." Irma said. They left the tower and rode the Orient Express to the area where the Grand Carousel was located and got on.

"This ride is so relaxing." Irma said. "Yeah, especially after three roller coasters in a row!" Cornelia replied.

After a few runs on the Carousel, they decided to make one more sweep around the park. They first got to the paintball shooting gallery. "I've always wanted to shoot off a paintball gun." Cornelia said.

"Yeah, my first time with one was right here." Robert said. They each paid for 100 shots and the paintballs began to fly! They simply fired at all of the targets randomly. "I'm so enjoying this!" Cornelia said happily as she and Caleb landed several high-skill shots. After having fun at the shooting gallery, they decided to head to the Gotham City area. First, they got in line for the Atom Smasher.

"I love these kinds of rides." Robert said as the line began moving. "I can see why, it looks like a lot of fun." Irma replied. They got on board and strapped them selves in.

"I'm gonna tell you now, this bar will practically be your lifeline on this ride." Robert said as the attendants checked the safety bars. A minute later, the ride began moving.

"This isn't so bad." Cornelia said as the ride picked up speed. In twenty seconds, the ride was at full speed. The centrifugal force brought on caused the riders to lean towards the outside.

"It's like they're trying to toss us out!" Cornelia yelled while struggling to remain upright. I didn't even expect it to be like this my first time on this thing!" Robert replied.

After two minutes, the ride began to slow down. In thirty seconds the ride was at a full stop and the passengers began to disembark.

"That was wild!" Cornelia said as they got off.

"Yeah, but it was fun." Robert replied. They went to the nearby arcade to play some games. Robert and Irma first played a shooting game while Cornelia played a racing game.

"Having fun, Corny?" Irma asked. "Yeah, I'm doing well so far." Cornelia replied. After achieving high scores on the games that they played, they proceeded to Tidal Wave.

"Shall we?" Irma asked as she began walking towards the ride.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Robert said. They rushed to get in line. They all sat in the first row of the boat. After a couple of minutes, the boat was full and was sent out. The boat floated gently to the lift belt and began to climb. Once at the top, Robert took the quick opportunity to snap a photo before it was too late. The boat went around the turn and tilted sharply as it went down the drop, splashing water all over the place at the bottom.

"Irma, check this out." Robert said. Irma looked and saw that Robert was looking at a Canadian goose that was happily making his way along the water in the small lake next to them. Irma and Robert each took a picture before the boat pulled into the station. After disembarking, Cornelia wrung her wet hair out and met with the other two. They proceeded to the bumper cars, near Riddler's Revenge, and got in line. After a ten-minute wait, they each got into their own cars. When the ride started, Robert found himself hitting everybody in sight.

"Ouch!" Cornelia said as Robert hit her car. "Oops, I didn't hit too hard did I?" he asked.

"Nah, I just didn't see that coming." Cornelia replied as she drove off. Robert felt a jolt as Irma hit him from behind. Robert looked at her and grinned as he drove off. After getting off of the bumper cars, they walked over to the go-kart track.

"Let's have a little fun on those." Cornelia said.

"Sounds good to us." Robert and Irma said at the same time. They got in line for the go-karts. After waiting for twenty minutes, they each got onto their own go-kart and drove off along the course. They completed three laps before they got off. They later found Jetstream and got in line.

"I hope my hair doesn't get too wet this time." Cornelia said.

"That's the thing with water rides, Corny, you're gonna get wet." Irma replied. They all got onto one boat, along with one other person and proceeded out of the station. The boat went up the lift and began gently moving along the water track. As they went into a small shack, the boat suddenly seemed to drop from under them as they went down the first drop.

"Whoa, didn't see that coming." Cornelia said.

"I did, I've been on this before." Robert replied. They went up another lift and the boat dropped slightly and continued along its course. After a minute, they turned a corner and stopped just short of the second drop.

"Hang on, ladies!" Robert said just before the braking mechanism disengaged, releasing the boat. The girls screamed as the boat went down the drop. The boat pulled into the station and the riders disembarked.

"That was fun." Cornelia said.

"Yeah, it was really fun." Irma replied. They continued walking and found themselves back at the area near the entrance. At this point, the sun was beginning to set.

"Well, now what do you want to do?" Cornelia asked.

"It depends, what time is it?" Irma asked. Robert checked his watch. "It's 6:45." Robert replied.

"Well, I think we should call it a day." Irma said.

"Yeah, we probably should go ahead and make our way back to Heatherfield. They walked out the park exit and took the tram to the parking lot. They got into the van and got ready to go. Irma pulled out of the parking spot and proceeded towards the freeway on-ramp. They got onto the freeway and Robert put in one of Irma's CDs on the radio. On their way back to Irma's house, the girls sang along to the radio. Five hours later, they arrived back in Heatherfield, by which time it was 11:30PM, and Cornelia and Robert were fast asleep. They pulled into the driveway and got out and into the house. They went into the bedroom and fell dead asleep on the bed.

Part 3 Special Talent

17, June 2017

Location: Heatherfield

At Irma's house, Irma, Cornelia and Robert woke up at 8:45AM relaxed. They went into the living room and Robert turned on the TV. They sat down and watched the program that was on. A few minutes later, during the first commercial break, there was an advertisement that announced that Heatherfield was having its yearly talent show at the Heatherdome.

"Wow, you can do something on that!" Cornelia said. "Yeah, but what can I do?" Irma asked.

"I think the better question is 'what can you NOT do?'." Cornelia replied. "Yeah…hey do you think I can sing real well?" Irma asked.

"Is that a trick question? Of course you can!" Robert replied. "Irma blushed. "But…you've never heard me sing before; how do you know how good I am?" she asked.

"Cornelia told me, and I have that gut-feeling that you'll do great." Robert replied. Irma thought about it and smiled as she came to her decision.

"I'll do it, for you." she said. "OK, let's go then." Cornelia said. They got up and turned the TV off. They got into Irma's van and headed off to the Heatherdome to sign Irma up. They got to the Heatherdome a few minutes later, and saw that there was a small line in front of the entrance. Irma found a suitable space in the parking lot and parked in it. They got out and got in line.

While waiting, they saw Irma's friend Martin Tubbs walking down the sidewalk. "Hey, guys, how's it going?" he asked as he walked up.

"Not much, Irma's going into the talent show. What's new with you?" Cornelia asked. "I just got out of basic flight training and I'm waiting to be sent to Lemoore for advanced training." Martin replied.

"Wow, that must have been tough!" Robert said. "Yeah, but I never gave up and I got through it." Martin replied.

"Wow…hey, how's Alchemy doing?" Irma asked. "She's doing great! It's now been a year since we first got together. She's a wonderful woman." Martin replied.

"Yeah, where is she now?" Cornelia asked. "She's at home getting some rest; she had an accident two weeks ago." Martin replied.

"What happened to her?" Irma asked. "She was on her way home from work when some idiot cut her off by Sheffield. She hit the brakes and swerved into a light pole." Martin replied. They were moving closer to the entrance during the whole conversation.

"Where does she work?" Robert asked. "She's an aerobics instructor at the Heatherfield Recreation Center." Martin replied.

"Wow, she must enjoy that job." Robert said. "Yeah, well, I gotta go, see you guys later." Martin said as he walked off. The others waved goodbye and noticed that they were close to the entrance. A few minutes later, Cornelia and Robert waited outside for Irma to get done signing herself up.

"Well, how did it go?" Robert asked. "The show starts in an hour, I'll be on last." Irma replied.

"Not bad, that gives us an hour to invite the others." Cornelia said. They left the Heatherdome and drove to Will's house.

Cornelia walked up to Will's front door and knocked twice. "What's up?" Will asked when she opened the front door.

"Irma got signed up for the talent show, wanna come?" Cornelia asked. "Sure, sounds fun." Will replied as they got into the van. They then went to Taranee's house. Will got out and knocked on Taranee's door.

"Hey Taranee, we're going to the talent show today, Irma's going to be in it, wanna come?" Will asked when Taranee answered.

"Sure, I'll be out in a sec!" Taranee replied. She came out and got into the van. They then went to Hay Lin's house down the block. Irma honked the horn and in thirty seconds, Hay Lin came out and ran up to the van.

"What's happening today?" Hay Lin asked. "I'm in the talent show today, wanna come and see me perform?" Irma asked.

"Sure, I'd love to!" Hay Lin replied as she got in back with the others. "Elyon's gotta see Irma when she goes on, she'll love it!" Cornelia said as they drove off.

"Good thinking, let's go pick her up!" Irma replied as she drove the van to Elyon's house. Irma pulled up in front and honked the horn twice. Elyon came running out and to the van. Cornelia opened the sliding door and Elyon got in.

"What's up?" she asked. "Irma's in the talent show today at the Heatherdome." Will replied.

"Awesome, let's get there early so she can get ready." Elyon replied. "We're doing that now as a matter of fact." Irma replied.

They got to the Heatherdome and found a good parking space close to the entrance. They got out and walked towards the entrance.

"We'll be in the front row, just to let you know." Cornelia said. "Yeah, good luck sweetheart." Robert said as he gave her a good-luck kiss. The others got their tickets and managed to find some front-row seats. By the time they got there and took their seats, the first act was just beginning. They relaxed and watched the other acts, all of which were good, but they knew that Irma's act would be the best.

"Last, but not least, we have Miss Irma Lair, who is going to sing for us tonight." The announcer said. Robert, Cornelia and the others shouted with joy when Irma came onto the stage. The others sat wide-eyed when Irma took the microphone and the lights dimmed.

"I'm going to be performing a song for the love of my life, who has always been there for me, and this is how I'm going to show my love for him." Irma announced as the spotlight shone on her. Irma saw Robert and the others in the front row and smiled as she turned on the stereo and began to sing. Robert and Cornelia's jaws dropped as they listened to Irma's beautiful singing voice echo throughout the auditorium. _Wow, her voice is like that of an angel! She can win contests with a voice like that! _Robert thought as Irma got halfway through the song. _Robert definitely looks like he's enjoying this, but that just goes without saying!_ Cornelia thought as she saw Robert's mesmerized face staring at the stage, and Irma as she got to the last chorus.

Everyone began applauding and cheering loudly when the song was over. Irma blushed, knowing that she really impressed the audience, especially Robert and the others.

"How was that, my dearest love?" she asked him when they were leaving. "That was awesome! We always knew that you had it in you!" Robert replied.

"Awww, come here, you!" Irma said as she embraced Robert and kissed him. "Come on, lovebirds! You can get mushy when we get to your house!" Cornelia joked as they got into her van. They drove to Irma's house where they turned on the TV to watch the talent show highlights. They shouted and jumped with excitement when the program announced that Irma's act was the #1 act of the night's show.

"I made number one? That's so awesome!" Irma said. "Let's rest, we've gotta go back for our next deployment." Cornelia said as she turned off the TV and they all fell asleep on the living room couch.


	5. First Tour of Duty in the Combat Zone

Chapter 4: First deployment to the War Zone

Part 1: Rendezvous

23, June 2017, 8:00AM

Location: Guam

Two aircraft carriers, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) with some amphibious assault ships in addition to their standard battle group vessels assembled in a Navy task force made their way out to open waters from Pearl Harbor on their way towards North Korea.

On their way out, they planned to rendezvous with USS Gerald R. Ford's battle group, which had its own group of amphibious assault ships at the entrance of Apra Harbor and head northwest to North Korea.

The Shadow Squadron provided air cover for the ships. "This is Sentinel; picture is clean at this time." AWACS said.

"Roger, our scopes are clean as well." Robert said.

Suddenly, multiple contacts appeared on their radar screens! "What the...the enemy's here, now?!"

"ENEMY APPROACHING!! ALL UNITS, PREPARE TO ENGAGE IMMEDIATELY!!!" The Shadow team armed their weapons and prepared for battle.

The first wave consisted of Su-33s, and MiG-35s. "We've got MiG-35s, heads up!" AWACS said.

The squadron pilots armed their weapons and prepared for combat. Brick locked onto the first group of bandits.

"Shadow 8, fox three!" he called out as he fired an AMRAAM. The other planes each fired an AMRAAM at the enemy formation.

Brick's missile hit first. "Shadow 8, splash one!" he called out as he confirmed his fifth kill, which made him an ace. The other missiles hit seconds later.

The next wave was twenty MiG-35s. Robert locked onto one of the MiGs.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" he called out as he fired. He switched to another MiG and fired another AMRAAM. Kim and Liz fired at the enemy as well. Robert's missiles hit first.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" he called out. Kim's missile hit next. "Shadow 2, splash one!" she called out.

The last remaining MiG was then destroyed by Shadow 6. "Shadow 6, splash one!" Liz called out as she confirmed her fourth kill.

The Shadow team could see the other groups on their radar screens.

Suddenly, they got another message. "Emergency, we have enemy bombers approaching the area!" AWACS Sentinel said.

"Shadow 5, Shadow 6, Shadow 8, stay by me as we engage the enemy bombers. The rest of you, take out the enemy fighters and protect those ships at all costs!" Robert ordered.

Liz, Crystal and Brick formed up on Robert's wing and gunned the afterburners to follow him to as the rest stayed near the fleets.

Robert closed in and switched to his AIM-9X heat seeking missiles and fell back as the other three locked onto the enemy Tu-95 Bear bombers.

"Shadow 5, fox three!" Crystal called out as she launched an AMRAAM.

"Shadow 8, fox three!" Brick called out as he fired two AMRAAMs at two enemy Bear bombers.

"Shadow 6, fox three!" Liz called out as she fired an AMRAAM. A minute later, the first bomber was hit.

"Shadow 5, splash one!" Crystal called out as she watched her ninth victim go down in flames.

"Shadow 8, splash one!" Brick called out as his missiles hit their marks five seconds later.

"Shadow 6, splash one!" Liz called out as her missile hit its mark.

"All remaining bandits are withdrawing, mission is accomplished!" AWACS said after the last bomber went down.

The team then went to the pattern to land on the Gerald R. Ford. Shadow 1 was the first to land.

Robert lined his plane up for the approach. He lowered the landing gear, tail hook, and full flaps. He also switched the aircraft's HUD to ILS mode.

"Strike, Shadow 1 to land." Robert said. "Shadow 1, fly the bull's-eye." The air boss said.

"Strike, Shadow 1 checking in." Robert replied. "Shadow 1, this is Strike, descend and maintain Angels 2 for approach, maintain 150kt, final heading 320, switch Marshall." The air boss said.

"Strike, Shadow 1 copies all." Robert replied. "Shadow 1, this is Marshall, mother is case 1, expect CV1 approach." the LSO (Landing Signal Officer) said.

Robert was on a three-mile final at this point. "Shadow 1, on course, on glideslope, begin descent." The LSO said. A few slow minutes passed as Robert closed in on the carrier.

"Shadow 1, you're 3/4 mile, call the ball." The LSO said. "Shadow 1, roger ball." Robert replied. 10 seconds later, the plane touched down on the deck and the tail hook snagged the #3 wire.

As it hit, Robert went to full military power as a precaution. "Trap, 3 wire, red deck!" the LSO said as the plane touched down. Robert and Irma grunted as the plane came to a quick stop!

Two seconds after touchdown, the plane was at a stand-still. "Shadow 1, raise your hook and taxi to parking." The air boss said. Robert raised the hook and folded the plane's outer wings and taxied off of the runway.

"Deck is green, Shadow 2 cleared to land." The air boss said. Over the next hour, the rest of the Shadow Squadron planes landed on the deck of the Gerald R. Ford.

Part 2: Japan's Defense

27, June 2017, 10:00AM

Location: Off the western coast of Japan

The enemy was attempting to invade Japan using an amphibious landing force. The US Navy task force was in position to destroy this force before it reached Japanese shores.

Robert started the engagement by engaging the first wave of hovercraft that was approaching. "I'm switching to guns!" Robert said as he went in for a strafing run.

Robert fired a burst from his M61A2 Vulcan cannon, which set the hovercraft on fire. "Don't worry about the hovercraft, the carriers are sending attack helicopters to take care of them. Focus on the enemy landing ships." AWACS ordered.

Robert switched to his aircraft's AGM-84L Harpoon anti-ship cruise missiles. "I've got tone!" Robert said as the targeting system locked onto an enemy landing ship.

"Shadow 1, two away!" Robert called out as he fired a pair of Harpoons. Shadow 3 and Shadow 7 were close behind.

"Shadow 3, one away!" Will called out as she fired one of her Harpoons. "Shadow 7, one away!" Caleb called out as one of his Harpoons was launched. Robert's missiles hit first, followed by Will's and Caleb's missiles. Meanwhile, Robert looked and saw that several enemy hovercraft units were destroyed by AH-74B Seabow helicopters. A quick check of the radars revealed that there were only five enemy landing ships remained. "I've got tone!" Liz said as she locked onto a landing ship. Shadow 5 and Shadow 4 were close behind. "Shadow 4, one away!" Hay Lin called out as she launched an AGM-84L Harpoon. "Shadow 6, one away!" Liz called out as she fired. "Shadow 5, one away!" Crystal called out as she fired one of her Harpoons.

Robert closed in to finish the enemy force off. "I've got tone!" he called out when he locked onto one of the enemy ships.

"Shadow 1, one away!" Robert called out as he fired a Harpoon. He locked onto the last remaining enemy ship and got ready to fire.

"Shadow 1, one away!" Robert called out as he fired his last Harpoon. He headed back towards the Ford to rearm.

A minute later, the other missiles hit their targets, putting them out of action. "We're showing good kills in the area, keep it up!" AWACS said. Thirty seconds later, Robert's missiles hit and disabled their targets.

"Enemy landing force destroyed, excellent work, Shadow Flight!" AWACS said. All the pilots cheered, knowing that their mission was accomplished. After a damage assessment, all of the Shadow planes landed. Robert closed in on the carrier to land. Robert lined his plane up for the approach.

He lowered the landing gear, tail hook, and full flaps. He also switched the aircraft's HUD to ILS mode.

"Strike, Shadow 1 to land." Robert said.

"Shadow 1, fly the bull's-eye." The air boss said.

"Strike, Shadow 1 checking in." Robert replied.

"Shadow 1, this is Strike, descend and maintain Angels 2 for approach, maintain 175kt, final heading 320, switch Marshall." The air boss said.

"Strike, Shadow 1 copies all." Robert replied. "Shadow 1, this is Marshall, mother is case 1, expect CV1 approach." the LSO (Landing Signal Officer) said. Robert was on a three-mile final at this point.

"Shadow 1, on course, on glideslope, begin descent." The LSO said. A few slow minutes passed as Robert closed in on the carrier.

"Shadow 1, you're 3/4 mile, call the ball." The LSO said. "Shadow 1, roger ball." Robert replied. 10 seconds later, the plane touched down on the deck and the tail hook snagged the #3 wire.

As it hit, Robert went to full military power as a precaution. "Trap, 3 wire, red deck!" the LSO said as the plane touched down. Robert and Irma grunted as the plane came to a quick stop!

Two seconds after touchdown, the plane was at a stand-still. "Shadow 1, raise your hook and taxi to parking." The air boss said. Robert raised the hook and flaps and folded the plane's outer wings and taxied off of the runway.

"Deck is green, Shadow 2 cleared to land." The air boss said.

Robert taxied towards his aircraft's parking space on the starboard side of the flight deck, forward of the island.

Once near the spot, Robert waited for the pushback to move his aircraft onto the elevator just forward of the island.

Robert then applied the parking brake, shut down the engines, turned off all electronic and hydraulic systems. He then flipped the switch to raise the canopy as he and Irma undid their safety harnesses.

One of the flight deck crew members extended the boarding ladder and began the post-flight inspection as Robert and Irma climbed down from the cockpit and onto the flight deck.

"I'm sure the Japanese government will be pleased with our efforts here." Robert said as he and Irma walked along the flight deck to the squadron's ready room.

"Yeah, we saved a lot of innocent lives today." Irma replied. In the distance, they could hear the sound of Shadow 2's engines as they approached.

They covered their ears as Shadow 2 made a perfect third-wire trap on the runway. Over an hour, the rest of the Shadow planes landed on the ship. The planes were then lowered to the hangar deck.

Part 3: The Offensive Begins

6, July 2017, 6:00PM

Location: Eastern coastline of North Korea

The U.S. offensive of the war begins with a group of 4 LPDs (Landing Platform Ships) and 5 Wasp-class amphibious assault ships leading the USN task force.

The Shadow pilots were ordered to provide support for the ground battle. Robert and Irma's F/A-18F Super Hornet was towed out of the hangar deck onto the elevator just forward of the Gerald R. Ford's island.

Irma and Robert climbed into their cockpits and strapped in. "Wow, our first close air support operation! This is gonna be fun!" Irma said.

"Yep and you being here with me makes it more fun." Robert said. Irma blushed briefly and continued getting ready.

Robert closed the canopy and started up the engines. While the engines started up, the elevator took the plane up to the flight deck.

After startup, the plane taxied to the #1 catapult on the right side of the carrier's bow.

Once in position, Robert lowered the launch bar, spread the outer wings, applied takeoff flaps, and waited.

Meanwhile, Shadow 2, Shadow 3, and Shadow 4 were getting ready to launch. While the Shadow 1 crew was carrying out their pre-flight checks, the catapult shuttle retracted to its launch position, hooking up to the plane's launch bar.

The flight deck crew members then attached the holdback bar to the back of the nose gear.

The blast deflector was then raised into position for the launch. At that moment, Robert tested the throttles by revving the engines to full power for a second, then throttling back down to idle.

As he did that, he also tested the control surfaces by moving the stick and rudder pedals, checking the response.

Shadow 1 was now ready to go. "Shadow 1 cleared to launch." The air boss said.

Robert throttled up to full power and saluted the flight deck officer as he and Irma braced for the launch.

A second later, the plane jolted as the catapult fired. "WHOOOOOOAAAAAA!!!" Irma screamed as the plane was launched off the flight deck of the carrier.

Two seconds later, the plane was airborne. Robert raised the launch bar on liftoff, followed by the gear, and the flaps. Over the next 2 minutes, the 7 other planes launched. "Shadow team, your orders are to provide support for allied ground forces as they establish beachheads on the coastline!" AWACS said.

The LPDs were approaching the coastline, ready to deploy the troops on landing. Each LPD had one infantry and two armor companies on board. T

he LPDs were alongside the amphibious assault ships, which deployed Navy AH-64E Sea Apache and Army AH-64D Longbow Apache attack helicopters, as well as Marine Corps F-35B VSTOL tactical combat jets.

Also deploying from the ships were Army UH-60L Black Hawk assault helicopters, some with supplies slung underneath, Army CH-47 Chinook, and Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopters, some also with supplies, as well as howitzers, M1126 Strykers, and other equipment slung underneath them. Some ships are also deploying Marine Corps/Air Force V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

The Shadow team arrived first, targeting any enemy artillery and armor forces on the beach, including all stationary bunkers. The aircraft armed their weapons and spread out for the attack.

"I've got tone!" Robert said as he targeted an enemy T-72 tank. "Shadow 1, rifle!" he called out as he fired an AGM-65F Maverick air-to-surface missile. The missile blew the tank to pieces.

Crystal locked onto an enemy land-based anti-ship missile platform. "Shadow 5, rifle!" she called out as she fired. The platform was destroyed, but one missile was launched.

"All friendly surface units, be advised, enemy anti-ship missile launch detected!" Crystal called out to warn the fleet.

One of the AH-64s destroyed the missile with an AIM-92 Air-To-Air Stinger (ATAS) short-range heat-seeking missile.

Shadow 3 and Shadow 6 targeted all enemy howitzers on the beach. "Shadow 3, rifle!" Will said as she fired two Mavericks at a pair of enemy howitzers.

Suddenly, Robert's radar-warning-receiver went off, indicating that he was being tracked. Robert checked the radar, but found nothing.

He checked the RWR, which indicated that it was an SA-7 Grail, which was a shoulder-launched weapon. "Shadow 1, mud 7 three o'clock!" Robert said to his wingmen.

Suddenly, the missile launch warning sounded, indicating that Robert now had a missile headed for his aircraft. Crystal saw the missile come up. "Shadow 1, SAM launch, 4 o'clock, break right!" she called out to him.

"Shadow 1 tallies Shadow 5." Robert said as he broke hard into the missile while releasing decoy flares.

The missile lost its track on Robert's plane. "Shadow 1, missile evaded." Robert called out as he continued the fight.

"All airborne units, be advised, an AC-130 gunship is approaching the area to take out the infantry SAM threat; stand by for further orders." AWACS ordered.

The Shadow planes circled around as they waited for the gunship to join the fight. "Sentinel, Spooky, we have arrived in the mission zone and are engaging enemy infantry!" the pilot of the gunship said.

"Roger, Spooky, all other air units are now ordered to engage the enemy." AWACS said.

"This is the Ford; our forces are approaching the beach." Captain Anderson said. "Roger, all units, assist the ground forces in securing the beach once they deploy." J-STARS Jackknife ordered.

"Roger, on our way!" Liz said as she and three of her wingmen flew to the beach. Suddenly, an urgent call came in. "Emergency, we have multiple bandits approaching the area, bearing 275, 20 miles at angels 4! All available air units move to intercept immediately!" AWACS ordered.

"Roger, on our way!" Robert said as he and the rest of the squadron switched to their AIM-120Ds and plugged in afterburners to intercept the bandits.

A minute later, Robert detected the bandits on radar. "I've got tone!" he called out as he and the others locked onto the bandits, which were Su-27 Flankers.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired the missile. "Shadow 5, fox three!" Crystal called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off.

"Shadow 4, fox three!" Hay Lin called out as she took her shot.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as she launched her missile. The Flankers turned to evade, but the AMRAAMs, at Mach 4, were too fast, and at that moment, four Flankers were doomed.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit his nineteenth victim.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as her missile hit its mark.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 5, splash one!" Crystal said as her missile took its target out. The Super Hornets went into split-Ss as the remaining Flankers flew below them.

Robert switched to his AIM-9Xs as he entered a dogfight with one of the Flankers. He uncaged the seeker heads and used his HMS to lock onto the Flanker.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired a Sidewinder, which rolled off of the wingtip rail to a lethal kill.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 1, we've got one on our tail, take him out!" Crystal said as she tried to shake off the Flanker that was targeting her aircraft.

Suddenly, the Flanker fired an R-73 Archer. Crystal released flares and barely managed to dodge the missile.

"I've got tone!" Robert called out as he locked onto the Flanker. The growling changed to a higher-pitched tone as the missile locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired the missile. The Flanker turned to evade, but the missile was too nimble for it and the Flanker was hit.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the enemy pilot eject.

Meanwhile, the LPDs landed on the beach, deploying their loads of troops and vehicles.

The helicopters and other jets were on hand to provide support and faced minimal resistance thanks to the pre-emptive airstrikes carried out by the Shadow team a few minutes earlier.

The ground forces easily established beachheads within 10 minutes, with help from the AC-130 gunship. Capturing the airfield was the next objective.

Robert and Crystal closed in on the airfield, Mk-20 cluster bombs ready. "Shadow 1, one away!" he called out as he dropped his cluster bomb on a group of enemy aircraft parked on the tarmac.

"Shadow 5, one away!" Crystal called out as she dropped her cluster bomb on another group of aircraft on another part of the flightline.

The cluster bombs burst open in mid-air and the submunitions spread out over the targets.

The planes on the ground were obliterated by the shower of destruction.

The allied ground forces then moved in to make the capture. The airfield will now be used as a base of operations for all allied aircraft, including USAF heavy aircraft such as transport planes, tankers, bombers and additional AC-130U Spectre gunships which will arrive in an hour or so.

After capturing the airfield, Katana Team moved on to the fortress, leaving Tortoise Team at the airstrip.

Robert and the rest of the squadron closed in for the attack. "Shadow 1, rifle!" Robert called out as he fired a Maverick at an enemy tank.

"Shadow 8, rifle!" Brick called out as he fired a Maverick at another T-72 tank.

Robert turned around and armed his Mk-82 500lb bombs. He lined up for a run on the fortress's artillery bunkers.

"Shadow 1, one away!" he called out as he dropped a bomb. He adjusted his course to line up with the other bunker.

"Shadow 1, one away!" he called out as he dropped his last bomb.

"Shadow 1, Winchester." Robert called out as he turned to head back to the ship.

The bombs hit their marks, destroying the fortress's primary means of defense. The ground forces then moved in to capture the fortress, destroying the other bunkers and turrets.

"This is Katana, we have captured the enemy fortress!" the Katana leader said.

"Roger Katana, all units, mission is accomplished, your efforts are greatly appreciated, head for home immediately!" AWACS said.

The Shadows formed up and returned to the Gerald R. Ford. The pilots were later transferred to the newly captured base.

Part 4: Spectre Rescue

28 July, 2017

Location: 100 miles west of the coastline

An AC-130U Spectre gunship was on a close air support mission in Eastern North Korea. "We've got additional hostiles grouping up to the east; they may be setting up an ambush." the gunship's FCO (Fire Control Officer) said.

"Roger that, we see them." the gunship's TV operator replied. The gunship then began firing its 40mm cannon.

"Spooky, this is Katana, we have confirmed multiple SAMs in your area, be careful." the Katana leader said.

"Roger, Katana, we'll be careful." The pilot replied.

"We have a SAM threat warning, heads up!" the electronic warfare officer said.

They were being tracked by an SA-19 SAM. Suddenly, the missile launcher fired! "Missile inbound, evade, evade, evade!" the EWO said.

The gunship began evasive maneuvers while dropping chaff. The missile hit the left wing, tearing it in two!

"Mayday, mayday, mayday, we've been hit, we're going down!" the pilot said. "EVERYBODY BRACE FOR CRASH IMPACT!" the co-pilot said.

The gunship leveled off before hitting the ground and scraping to a stop. "Everybody clear the crash site, go go go!" the pilot ordered.

"Call in a search and rescue." The pilot ordered. "AWACS, Spooky is down, I say again, Spooky is down!" Katana said.

"Roger Katana, search and rescue is spooling up now." AWACS said.

Meanwhile, at the base, the Shadow pilots were ordered to report to the briefing room.

"OK, Shadow, here's your sitrep: Ten minutes ago, an AC-130 was on a close air support mission when it encountered a SAM battery and was shot down. We have confirmation from ground troops that most of the crew survived. We have sent a Pave Hawk for the extraction, and that's where you guys come in. Your mission is to escort the helicopter while they get in, get the crew, and head home. Now, those SAMs that shot down the gunship are still out there, but we have Growlers out there taking care of them, so they won't pose a threat to the current mission. Good luck, and good hunting, that is all, dismissed."

The officer said. After the briefing, the pilots headed out to their aircraft and taxied out to the runway.

"Shadow, cleared for takeoff." The ATC said as Robert throttled up his engines to full power and the plane roared down the runway.

The other planes launched followed close behind. Once airborne, the F/A-18Fs met up with the Pave Hawk.

"This is Echo 41; we're en-route to the LZ, over." The helicopter pilot said.

"Shadow flight, we have contacts bearing 270 4 miles at Angels 10; Fulcrums, hostile." AWACS said.

"Roger, on our way." Robert said as he armed his weapons and closed in on the bandits.

"I've got tone…Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired an AIM-120D AMRAAM at the enemy MiG.

"Fox three!" Robert said as he fired more missiles. After a minute, the missiles hit their targets.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert said as he continued the fight. Meanwhile, the Pave Hawk landed at the crash site of the downed AC-130.

"This is Echo 41, we've reached the crash site; survivors are headed for us now." the pilot said.

"Roger Echo 41; Shadow, continue escort until the helo reaches the base." AWACS ordered. "Wilco." Robert said as he headed back to the helicopter's position.

"Damn, I'm amazed anyone survived that!" Will said as she flew over the crash site.

"I know, a crash like that could have killed all of the crew." Cornelia said as she and Caleb flew by.

"This is Echo 41, we have the crew on board and we're dusting off, over." the Pave Hawk pilot said as the chopper lifted off, with the survivors of the Spectre crew on board.

"Shadow, we have new contacts, bearing 260, 10 miles, Angels 5." AWACS said.

"Roger, we won't let even one of them get near the helo." Robert said as the squadron engaged the Flankers.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Ron said as he fired an AMRAAM. Robert switched to his AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles as the squadron approached the enemy group.

Robert uncaged the seeker heads as he heard the distinct growling tone in his headphones.

After a second, the growling changed to a higher-pitched tone.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as the Sidewinder rolled off of the starboard wingtip. Robert then switched to his next target and let off another Sidewinder.

Just then, one of the Flankers fired an R-73 Archer missile! "Shadow 1, missile, break!" Taranee called out as Robert jinked and released a burst of decoy flares.

By the time that Robert dodged the Archer, the two missiles he fired hit their targets. "Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out before carrying out a Split-S to get behind the remaining Flanker.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired another Sidewinder, which flew to a lethal kill. "Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out.

"Shadow, clean sweep, no targets remaining." AWACS said. Just then, the Pave Hawk landed and called out: "This is Echo 41, we've managed to bring our guys home!"

"Mission accomplished, all aircraft return to home plate!" AWACS said as the Shadows went to land on the ship. The planes landed on the ship and the pilots relaxed in the lounge area.

"I'm glad those guys were OK!" Cornelia said as Will walked in. "Yeah, me too!" Irma replied.


	6. Second Leave

Chapter 5: Second Leave

Part 1: Air Show fun

23, October 2017, 6:15AM

Location: Heatherfield Naval Air Station

Robert, Irma and the others were at the Heatherfield Air Show. During the event, Robert spotted a familiar, black shape in the sky coming towards them. As it got closer, Robert and the others were able to identify it as a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

"That thing looks almost like a giant metal bat!" Liz said.

"Yeah, but you would NOT want to be on the receiving end of this thing's bomb load!" Robert replied. After the fly-by, the B-2 landed and taxied to the flightline. Just then, the group heard a propeller engine start up.

A few minutes later, the crowd watched as an Extra 300S zoomed into the sky. Robert had his camera out and took a picture as the plane zoomed low over the runway, aerobatic smoke streaming from a dispenser on the rear fuselage.

The crowd watched in awe as it carried out a series of loops high up over the city. Eric and Hay Lin had their video cameras rolling. After a few more maneuvers, the Extra 300S landed and made way for the next performence.

Robert and the others heard the distinct sound of twelve jet engines starting up. "I know those turbofans!" Robert said as he looked towards the noise.

Robert got out his camera and watched as he saw six navy blue planes with yellow lines taxiing to the runway.

"No way, it's the legends themselves: the Blue Angels!" Robert said as the planes roared down the runway. Robert started filming as the Blue Angels started climbing to begin their maneuver routine.

"I've always wanted to see those guys in action." Irma said. "Yeah, those guys were my inspiration." Robert replied.

As the crowd watched in awe, the Blue Angels performed their famous diamond roll maneuver, along with some other various aerobatic maneuvers. After their routine was over, the Blue Angels split up, lowered their landing gear and flaps and landed on the runway in pairs.

"That was awesome!" Hay Lin said as the Blue Angels taxied off of the runway. Just then, Robert and the others watched as a Piper Cub and a school bus that had a special platform on top came out towards the runway.

"This I have to see, it could be good!" Cornelia said. They all whipped out their cameras as the Cub took off. Robert and Irma had their cameras focused on the bus and watched as the Cub circled around. As the Cub lined up, the bus started driving down the runway.

Robert, Irma and the others began recording as the Cub made its approach towards the bus. "Is that plane going to land on top of that bus?" Taranee asked. "Looks that way, sweetheart." Nigel replied.

Everyone stared in amazement as the pilot set the plane gently on the platform that was on top of the bus. "Whoa, that guy's got skills!" Will said as she watched the plane land. As the crowd watched, the bus, with the plane now on top of it, drove off of the runway. Robert and the others looked around the flightline and saw that the crowd was beginning to leave.

"Looks like it's over." Robert said as they began to make their way to the base gates.

Part 2: Disaster Strikes

24, October 2017, 6:34AM

Location: Middleton, CO

Robert and the others were enjoying a day at the Middleton Mall. As they walked in, they noticed storm clouds gathering over the area. They split into groups of 4 and walked around. Robert and Irma were holding hands while they walked, as did Ron and Kim.

As they walked around, they heard a loud, low rumble. "Sounds like the storm is heading over us." Irma said. "Yeah, it sounds that way." Robert replied.

"Yeah, this one seems to be rather strong." Kim said. "Yeah and it also sounds like it's rather close." Cornelia said.

Just then, the mall's radio broadcasted a tornado warning for the area. According to the warning, the storm over the city was capable of producing multiple tornadoes.

"Do you get those regularly?" Taranee asked in a concerned voice. "Sometimes, we're right at the edge of Tornado Alley, so yeah, we get them every now and then." Kim replied.

A few minutes later, sirens went off all over the place and all hell broke loose as the rumbling turned into a loud roar! As they looked around, they heard the distinct sounds of glass breaking. As the windows broke, a huge gust of wind blew throughout the mall.

"THIS DOESN'T LOOK GOOD!!!!!" Kim shouted over the roar of the wind. "WE SHOULD HEAD OUTSIDE AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON!!!!" Robert replied.

The group then got outside and, to their horror; they saw their worst fears come true: A tornado had touched down in the city! "RUN!!" Robert shouted as they ran for the nearest place in which they could take shelter, dodging falling debris.

Meanwhile, a nearby communications tower's support cables snapped from the strain of the tower being blown around by the twister and the tower itself began to tip, right towards Irma! Robert saw this and ran towards her. "IRMA!! GET OUT OF THERE!!" he screamed as he grabbed Irma and got her out of harm's way just as the tower came crashing down nearby!

Robert and Irma got up as the dust cleared. Irma saw the collapsed tower, and realized that his actions saved her from a grim end. "Robert, you...saved my life!" Irma said as she fell into his arms.

"Oh, Robert, I thought I was gonna die!" Irma said as Robert comforted her. "Irma, with me around, you'll always be safe." Robert said. Irma smiled and gave Robert a grateful kiss.

They looked up and saw that there was another, much larger tornado going through downtown. The group went to Kim's house and took shelter in the basement until the roaring of the twisters stopped.

The tornadoes lasted for 4-5 minutes, leaving a fifth of the city in ruins. A grand total of four tornadoes touched down in the area. Parts of the city looked like a war zone, with car alarms and sirens blaring, debris strewn all over the place, and the sounds of chaos echoing all over.

"Holy shit, this is horrible!" Kim said as they looked around at the devastation. The group went around the city, helping other survivors trapped in the rubble get out alive. They knew that the tornadoes were spawned by the super-cell storm that the group saw as they first went into the mall.

Middleton was declared a disaster area and was officially in a state of emergency. The weakest tornadoes were rated at F2, while the strongest were rated at F4 and F5.

"Well, at least now it's over." Will said. "Yeah, let's go home." Robert replied. They all went back to Heatherfield after looking around.

Part 3: Flight 7893(in Robert's POV): The Crash

25, October 2017, 1:00PM

Location: Heatherfield International Airport

Will, Irma, Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin, Matt, Caleb, Elyon and I were at the main terminal at the airport. We were waiting to board a flight to Hawaii. Eric and Nigel couldn't make it due to work issues.

It was two hours before the announcement came: "Hawaiian Airlines Flight 7893 to Honolulu is now boarding for all passengers at Gate 8A; repeat, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 7893 to Honolulu is now boarding for all passengers at Gate 8A."

"That's our cue." Will said as we headed to the gate to board the Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 767-300. On board the plane, we all sat in coach.

I sat in seat 32A, while Irma sat next to me in seat 32B. Cornelia, Caleb and Elyon sat in the row next to us in seats 32C, 32E and 32G. Taranee and Hay Lin sat in seats 31A and 31B, in front of me and Irma. Will and Matt sat in seats 32H and 32J. Our rows were located just behind the wings.

A few minutes later, the safety checks were done, followed by an announcement by the pilot over the PA:

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, we will be getting underway shortly. I just wanted to say that we will be having a long flight today. We've got clear skies and good visibility. The temperature in Honolulu is currently a comfortable 85 degrees, perfect for a walk along the beach. We have some headwinds that should reduce our flight time today. Flight attendants, please prepare for takeoff."

"Wow, I'd like to take a walk along the beach, what do you guys think?" Irma asked. "Yeah, I'd like that!" Cornelia said. "Me, too!" I replied. Then, the seatbelt sign turned on with its distinct "ding". The plane taxied to the runway as Irma and I looked out our window.

"Here we go!" I said as we gained speed and began to climb into the sunny sky.

Several minutes later, we were in the air, and the seatbelt sign turned off. The pilot gave another message over the PA:

"Attention, passengers, we have reached our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, you are now permitted to walk around the cabin, and our in-flight movie will begin shortly, thank you for flying with Hawaiian Airlines."

5-and-a-half hours later, Irma and Elyon went to the rear lavatories for a break. Caleb went five minutes later. "So, how are you guys holding up?" I asked. "Fine, it's been a while since we went on a civilian flight, and Elyon's never been on a plane in two years, but she seems to be doing fine." Cornelia replied.

"Great, of course we all know how much I enjoy flying, so that's kind of a given as to how I'm doing." I replied.

Meanwhile, Will, Hay Lin and Taranee were involved in their own conversation, talking about what they planned to do the next day.

Just then, the pilot made an announcement: "Attention, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to begin our descent in just a minute, I now ask that you all please fasten your seatbelts and put all table trays up and seat backs in an upright position until we are on the ground and thank you for flying with us today. Flight attendants, please prepare for landing."

The seatbelt sign turned on again. We all put our belts on and held on for our landing descent. I looked out the window and watched as we passed through whatever clouds were there.

Suddenly, the plane jolted. "What in the world was that?" Irma asked. "Must be turbulence." Cornelia replied.

"I don't think so!" Will said. I looked out the window and saw nothing but the water below. Just then, the plane jolted again, but violently! "Holy shit! That definitely wasn't turbulence!" Will said. I looked back and saw Irma, Caleb and Elyon sitting in three empty seats five rows behind ours.

Suddenly, the plane violently jolted twice, and my stomach jumped as if we were now descending rapidly. "If I don't survive this, I want you to tell Irma I love her!" I said. "OK, I will!" Cornelia said as she braced herself.

"Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking, brace for impact." the pilot said over the intercom. Everyone went into the brace position as the jolting intensified.

Thirty seconds later, the plane jolted and snapped in two, just behind row 34! The plane must have bounced off a hill because two seconds later, the plane jolted again. My seat was broken loose and hurled onto its side. My head hit the wall so hard that I blacked out in an instant.

After what seemed like forever, I started to hear a voice that sounded like Will's that said, "Robert...Robert...Robert, are you all right?" She sounded like she was just about to cry.

A few seconds later, I felt a head on my shoulder and two arms around my neck as Will started crying. I then woke up, and the first thing I saw was Will crying on my shoulder. I groaned as I asked, "Will...Is that you?"

She instantly stopped crying, looked up at me and gasped when she saw that I was alive. "Robert, you're OK!" she said as she hugged me hard. "It's good to see that you're OK, too, Will!" I said as I hugged her back.

"You scared me for a second, I thought you were dead." Will said as she broke off the embrace and wiped away her tears. "No, but my body hurts like hell! How long was I out of it?" I asked.

"It's been ten minutes, maybe more." Will replied. "Where are the others?" I asked her.

"Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Matt are outside, but we're still trying to find Taranee and the others." Will replied. I got up and looked around to assess the situation.

The plane was a complete wreck, some of the seats were empty, some more, including mine, were loose and there was the sound of waves crashing close by. I looked at myself and saw that I only had a small scratch on my left hand. I also felt a scratch on my forehead.

I then looked around outside and saw Cornelia, who was crying hard. That's when I noticed that we crashed by a beach. Hay Lin and Matt were looking around for other survivors.

"OH, MY GOD!!" Hay Lin screamed five minutes later. "What is it?!" Will asked as she and I rushed over to where Hay Lin was standing.

"It's Taranee, she's hurt; she needs help!" Hay Lin said tearfully. "Don't worry, we're on it!" Matt said as we looked and saw that Taranee was trapped under a seat and her left arm appeared to be broken.

"There's an emergency medical kit somewhere inside, I'll go get it!" Will said as she went back into the wreckage to find the medical supplies that were on board. Matt and I lifted the seat off of Taranee and helped her stand up. When Will got back, Taranee was wincing in pain.

"Dammit, my left arm's killing me!" she said as she sat down on the now-reclined seat that was once pinning her down. "Hang in there, you'll be OK." Will said as she got a bandage from the kit and made a cast on Taranee's broken arm. She then made a sling out of a piece of bandage and put part of it around Taranee's neck and the other part around her cast-wrapped arm.

"Where are the others?" Taranee asked Will. "We're still looking for them." Will assured her to keep her from worrying too much.

Meanwhile, Hay Lin and I were trying to console Cornelia, who was still crying. "I looked and looked, but I can't find Irma, Elyon OR Caleb anywhere!" she said as she cried on my shoulder.

"Wait a minute! They were in the back of the plane!" I said. "But, what about Irma and Elyon? They were in the same row as yours when we took off, and...Oh!" Hay Lin said.

"Irma was...OH, NO! We've gotta find her, they were in the tail section when we went down! They could be hurt or...worse!" I replied. Hearing that statement made Cornelia cry harder and louder.

_Damn, she must really be worried about the others. Who could blame her? I hope they're OK, especially Irma! _I thought as I checked our surroundings. We began our search, taking the medical kit with us in case anyone else was badly injured. We started by looking for the remains of the forward fuselage, to find anything that could help us get out of here. we found it shortly, resting upright on some small hills.

Once there, I found a distress beacon device on the life raft, a long-range two-way radio, two flare guns with six flare cartridges, and several hand-held signal flares in the cockpit. The radio and distress beacon already had heavy-duty batteries installed.

I used the radio to call in the nearest rescue, which was a Navy battle group that was 40 hours away. I then told the others that we were going to continue our search for Irma, Elyon and Caleb before the Navy group arrived. We spent the rest of the day searching around, but had no luck.

That night, we built a campfire near the forward fuselage section of the crash site. We all sat around the fire trying to keep warm and relax. Will and Matt were sitting next to me on my left side, while Cornelia was sitting on my right side. Taranee and Hay Lin were sitting across from us next to each other.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Cornelia was starting to cry quietly. "Hey, are you alright?" I asked in a soft voice. "I'm still worried about the others. If any of them are...*sniff* I…I don't know what I would do with myself!" Cornelia replied as she laid her head on my shoulder and burst into tears.

"I know how you feel, but don't worry, they're alive and we'll find them, I know it." I said as I consoled Cornelia. "I hope so, Irma and Elyon mean so much to me." Cornelia said as I dried her tears.

The others got up and went into the lounge in the upper deck of the fuselage. I stayed with Cornelia for a few more minutes before we put the fire out and went up.

By this time, Will, Matt and Taranee were already sleeping on one of the beds. I laid down on the bed next to them, as did Cornelia on her own bed. I could hear Cornelia crying quietly as she fell asleep. _Poor Cornelia, she must be taking this really hard, but then again, the one I love is out there, too. I hope they're all OK. _I thought as I fell asleep.

The next morning, we woke with a start as we set out to continue our search for Irma, Elyon and Caleb. I waited until everyone was wide awake before we resumed our search. I turned on the distress beacon, which had a built-in receiver for detecting signals from other beacon devices, and my GPS receiver. The GPS indicated that we were on an island 50 miles east of Oahu.

We started by trying to find the tail section of the plane. We searched for a half-hour before we finally found the tail section resting at an angle on the beach, its cargo hold crushed by the crash impact. When we got there, we found Elyon, with a bandage on her left arm, resting in one of the seats.

"ELYON!!!" Cornelia yelled as she ran to her best friend, tears welling up in her eyes. She ran into Elyon's arms, and hugged her hard. "Oh, my god! You're hurt!" Cornelia said after she saw Elyon's bandage. Will and Matt checked on Elyon, while Hay Lin, Taranee and I looked around for Irma and Caleb.

"How bad is it?" Will asked Elyon. "My arm's gashed up pretty bad, but, I'll be all right." Elyon answered. I found another medical kit to make sure that we had enough supplies to treat any more injuries. We looked all around, but there was no sign of Caleb or Irma.

"Any sign of them?" Cornelia asked. I shook my head and said, "No, they're not here." At that moment, Cornelia broke down and cried on Will's shoulder. I then spotted the life raft lying nearby. I noticed that the life raft was inflated, and that its beacon device was gone, meaning that Irma and/or Caleb was alive!

I then looked inside and noticed that the flares in this storage area were gone, meaning that they had to be alive! We then continued our search for the others. We spent 2 hours searching before we found Caleb, who was looking around, apparently for us.

"CALEB!!!" Cornelia yelled as she ran crying into Caleb's arms. "Oh, Caleb! I thought I'd never see you again!" Cornelia sobbed as Caleb comforted her. "It's OK; at least we're all alive!" Caleb replied.

"But...but what about Irma?" Cornelia asked. "I still can't find her. I think she may be hurt, but we'll find out soon enough." Caleb replied. "Oh, I hope she's OK." Cornelia said. "Yeah, me too!" I added.

After Cornelia's reunion with Caleb, we continued the search. We called Irma's name as we walked. 1-and-a-half hours later, my beacon device suddenly beeped. "What was that?" Taranee asked. "It's a distress beacon device; it must have found another device's signal, but who would..." I said. Suddenly, the realization hit us.

"IRMA!" we all said at the same time. We followed the signal, and sure enough, we saw Irma walking out of the nearby forest, with a device similar to the one I was using. Irma saw us and gasped with a smile. "GUYS! OVER HERE!" we heard her call to us.

She was starting to cry as she got close to us. Cornelia was already crying when we got to her, as was Hay Lin. Irma ran into my arms and cried hard on my shoulder. "Oh, Robert, you're OK!!" she said. "I can see that you are as well!" I replied as I comforted her.

"Are you hurt at all?!" I asked in a concerned manner.

"Well, I just have a few bruises and a couple cuts, but I'll be OK! What about you?" Irma replied as I dried her tears.

"I just have a couple of scratches and a hellish headache, but that doesn't really matter, just as long as we're all alive and well." I told her. Meanwhile, Elyon and Will sniffed and wiped away tears of their own.

"I've got good news!" I told Irma as the girls calmed down.

"What is it, sweetie?" Irma asked me.

"I managed to call for help yesterday. There is a Navy battle group coming to our rescue right as we speak." I answered.

"Great, we're getting out of here!" Irma said as we walked back to the main crash site. We spread this news to the rest of the survivors, who were excited to be getting rescued soon.

Later, as the sun began to set, we built a roaring bonfire. We all slept in the lounge on the upper deck in the forward fuselage like we did the night before. "Good night, Robert. I love you." Irma said as she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, too! Good night." I said as I kissed her cheek. I checked my watch: it read "8:37PM".

We fell asleep knowing that help was on the way. Irma and I slept in each other's arms, using our body heat to keep each other warm. Matt and Will did the same thing, as did Cornelia and Caleb, and Elyon cuddled up next to Hay Lin and Taranee.

We all slept peacefully that night. We knew that we would all be rescued tomorrow morning.

Part 4: The Rescue.

27, October 2017, 6:00AM

The next morning, I was dreaming that Irma and I were riding a jet-ski on the ocean when I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder. I woke up to see Irma with her hand on my shoulder with a happy look on her face.

"Good morning, sleepy-head!" she said jokingly. I chuckled as I sat up and stretched my arms out as I yawned.

"You get enough sleep last night?" I asked Irma as the others began to wake up. "Yep, I did, now that I know that you're all right." Irma replied as she gave me a kiss.

I smiled and got up to check out the conditions outside. It was sunny and clear, with a very light wind blowing.

Ten minutes later, the group was wide awake and stretching their legs outside. At this point, we could barely see the tell-tale shapes of warships in the distance.

"I just realized something; Nigel is actually lucky that he didn't come with us." Taranee said.

"Why do you say that, Taranee?" Hay Lin asked, confused. "Because if he did, he may have been killed." Taranee replied.

"Oh, I see. Same with Eric; if he was killed, I would have been devastated!" Hay Lin replied.

Four hours later, they heard a loud roar. "What was that? It sounded kind of like a jet!" Will said.

Sure enough, an F/A-18E of VFA-115 flew overhead at low altitude. "That must be a SAR recon!" Irma said as the jet flew by.

"Yep, that means that rescue helicopters can't be too far away!" I replied as the fighter turned around. Irma and I then loaded the flare guns that I found in the cockpit two days ago.

We remained by the wreckage of the plane's midsection, where we first saw the F-18 fly by. I checked my watch; it read "10:43AM."

Suddenly, we saw what looked like a group of Seahawk helicopters. Irma and I each fired a flare into the air.

Five minutes later, the group of thirty Seahawk helicopters approached the island at top speed! Irma and I each lit a flare and used them to signal the aircraft and help them confirm our position. We then used some more to indicate a suitable landing site for the rescue units.

The Seahawks landed at the crash site, near the forward fuselage. Me and the others boarded a Seahawk and were taken to the Ronald Reagan where Elyon and Taranee were sent to the sick bay to receive treatment for their injuries. An hour later, all of the survivors were safely on board the warships.

Aftermath

The injured survivors were later airlifted to a group of waiting hospital ships that were dispatched from Pearl Harbor. The Navy ships docked in Pearl Harbor, where we disembarked and checked into a nearby hotel. At the hotel, we rested, tired from our ordeal. The cause of the crash of Hawaiian Airlines flight #7893 was a mid-air separation of all four engines, which is a rare event. The mounts for the engines were in need of replacement and broke when the pilot went to descend to enter the pattern to land at Honolulu International Airport, starting with the #4 engine. This breakage caused the engine to fall off. The other engines broke off over the next thirty seconds, resulting in the crash. After a long rest, Will, Matt, Hay Lin, Cornelia, Taranee, Caleb, Elyon, Irma and I spent the next two days touring the Hawaiian Islands. Elyon and Taranee were temporary unable to fly for 3 weeks due to their injuries. Hay Lin will fly an F/A-18E until Taranee's injured arm is fully healed and she is able to fly.


	7. Second Tour of Duty

Chapter 6: Second Deployment

Part 1: Furball Faceoff

7, November 2017, 11:00PM

Location: North Korean Strategic Airspace B4L

Shortly after the Shadow pilots got back from Hawaii, they went back to North Korea. Two months after arriving, they were deployed to Area B4L. A group of at least 45 enemy fighters of various types were spotted at Area B4L, possibly trying to establish air superiority in the area.

Several Air Force squadrons were sent to take them out, and as a result, a huge air battle ensued. The Shadow Squad, along with two other Navy air groups (Eagles and Tophatters) were sent into the furball.

Once they got airborne, the real fight began. The squadrons split up to engage the enemy fighters all at once, in order to overwhelm them. "I've got tone!" Robert called out as he and the others locked onto the bandits, which were Su-27 Flankers.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired the missile.

"Shadow 5, fox three!" Crystal called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off.

"Shadow 4, fox three!" Hay Lin called out as she took her shot.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as she launched her missile. The Flankers turned to evade, but the AMRAAMs, at Mach 4, were too fast, and at that moment, four Flankers were doomed.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit yet another victim.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as her missile hit its mark.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 5, splash one!" Crystal said as her missile took its target out. The Super Hornets went into split-Ss as the remaining Flankers flew below them. Robert switched to his AIM-9Xs as he entered a dogfight with one of the Flankers. He uncaged the seeker heads and used his HMS to lock onto the Flanker.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired a Sidewinder, which rolled off of the wingtip rail to a lethal kill.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 1, we've got one on our tail, take him out!" Hay Lin said as she tried to shake off the Flanker that was targeting her aircraft. Suddenly, the Flanker fired an R-73 Archer. Hay Lin released flares and barely managed to dodge the missile.

"I've got tone!" Robert called out as he locked onto the Flanker. The growling changed to a higher-pitched tone as the missile locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired the missile. The Flanker turned to evade, but the missile was too nimble for it and the Flanker was hit.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the enemy pilot eject. Suddenly, a MiG-29 fired an R-73 missile at Robert and Irma's plane!

"Shadow 1, you've got a missile, evade!" Will said to Robert. Robert saw the missile and went into a diving barrel roll while dispensing decoy flares to distract the missile. The missile broke lock and hit the flares, allowing Shadow 1 to continue the fight. Just then, an Su-35 Super Flanker passed by them, and Robert broke right to engage. Robert managed to get behind the Flanker long enough to lock on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired a Sidewinder missile. The missile connected, going up the Flanker's left tailpipe and exploding, resulting in another kill.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out. At this point, the strength of the enemy forces in the area was reduced by 25%. Just then, a MiG-31 went after Shadow 8, which was heading back to base to refuel and rearm. Robert and Will went to provide cover fire for their fellow aviators.

"Shadow 8, look out!" Robert said. At that moment, the MiG fired an R-27 Alamo long-range air-to-air missile at Tara's plane! "You've got a missile! Break!" Will said. Tara then began evasive maneuvers while dropping flares and chaff.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired an AMRAAM, which closed in on the MiG fast. "Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as the missile hit the MiG-25 and made the Alamo missile break its lock on Shadow 8.

"Thanks, Shadow 1! That was too close!" Tara said.

"Anytime, let's finish this!" Irma replied.

"I've got tone!" Robert called out as he and the others locked onto another group of bandits, which were MiG-35s.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired the missile.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off.

"Shadow 6, fox two!" Liz called out as she took a Sidewinder shot at a MiG-35.

"Shadow 3, fox two!" Will called out as she launched her missile. The Super Fulcrums turned to evade, but the missiles were too fast, and the four Super Fulcrums were doomed.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit yet another victim.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as her missile hit its mark.

"Shadow 6, splash one!" Liz called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will said as her missile took its target out. The Super Hornets split to go after the remaining bandits flew below them. Robert switched to his AIM-9Xs as he entered a dogfight with one of the remaining Flankers. He uncaged the seeker heads and used his HMS to lock onto the Flanker.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired a Sidewinder, which rolled off of the wingtip rail to a lethal kill. "Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

At this point, the enemy forces in the area were reduced to half strength.

"Shadow 1, we've got one on our tail, take him out!" Brick said as he tried to shake off the Super Fulcrum that was targeting his aircraft. Suddenly, the MiG-35 fired an R-73 Archer. Brick released flares and barely managed to dodge the missile.

"I've got tone!" Robert called out as he locked onto the MiG-35. The growling changed to a higher-pitched tone as the missile locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired the missile. The MiG-35 turned to evade, but the missile was too nimble for it and the Super Fulcrum was hit.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the enemy pilot eject. Suddenly, another MiG-35 fired an R-73 missile at Robert and Irma's plane!

"Shadow 1, you've got a missile, evade!" Will said to Robert. Robert saw the missile and went into a diving barrel roll while dispensing decoy flares to distract the missile. At this point, only 10 bandits, 4 Super Fulcrums and 6 Flankers remained.

"I'm switching to guns!" Robert said as he got in position to take down a MiG-35 with his aircraft's M61A2 Vulcan cannon. He got the reticle on the MiG and squeezed the trigger. A burst of 20mm shells went into the MiG, which burst into flames.

"Shadow 1, splash two!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill. A few more minutes later, as the allies ran out of ordnance, Shadow 2 lined up to gun down the last enemy fighter with their aircraft's Vulcan. Kim squeezed the trigger and fired a lethal burst into the enemy Flanker, which burst into flames.

"Shadow 2, splash two!" Kim called out.

"AWACS, this is Blaze, airspace is sanitized, I say again, airspace is sanitized!"

"Roger, that is confirmed, this area is free of enemy aircraft! Mission is complete, return to base!" AWACS replied.

With that, all of the American fighters began to head back to their respective bases.

"Wow, what a fight!" Robert said as they formed up on Robert's wing. "I know! I'm tired as hell right now!" Irma said.

"Me too! Let's go home!" Will said. "Wow, I need a rest!" Hay Lin said.

"Don't we all?" Cornelia replied. The planes landed at their primary forward operating base.

Part 2: Bomber escort

30, November 2017, 8:00AM

Location: Primary battle zone south of Kanggye

A group of 7 B-1B Lancer supersonic strategic bombers was going to carry out a run on an enemy weapons factory. The Shadow team was assigned the mission to escort the bombers to the target. This is Taranee's first flight since the crash of Hawaiian Airlines Flight 7893, in which Taranee broke her left arm, rendering her unable to fly for the past three weeks.

"Wow, this is going to be great!" Hay Lin said as they walked to the flightline after the briefing.

"I know! This will look great on our flight records!" Irma replied. Meanwhile, the bombers passed overhead.

"That must be them!" Robert said as he and Irma climbed into the cockpit.

"Yep, let's go!" Irma replied as she strapped herself in. The pilots carried out their pre-flight checks as the turbines started up. They taxied to the runway and held short.

"Tower, Shadow for takeoff." Robert said over the radio.

"Shadow cleared for takeoff, altitude restrictions cancelled, good luck." The ATC said. The squadron lined up on the runway and went to full afterburners. After takeoff, the squadron flew towards the bombers. Once there, they spread out to cover the bomber formation.

"Viking Flight, this is Shadow, my group will be escorting you today." Robert said.

"Roger that, Shadow, we appreciate the assistance." The lead bomber pilot replied.

"Shadow, we've got contacts, bearing 275, 15 miles at angels 10, multiple Flankers." AWACS said a few minutes later.

"Shadow 2, Shadow 3, Shadow 4, form up on me to engage the enemy; Shadow 5, Shadow 6, Shadow 7 and Shadow 8, stay by the bombers and take out any leakers that come close." Robert ordered. Kim, Will and Hay Lin went with Robert to engage the bandits while the rest stayed with the bombers.

"I've got tone!" Robert called out as he and the others locked onto the bandits.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired the missile.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off.

"Shadow 4, fox three!" Hay Lin called out as she took her shot.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as she launched her missile. The Flankers turned to evade, but the AMRAAMs, at Mach 4, were too fast, and at that moment, four Flankers were doomed.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit yet another victim.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as her missile hit its mark.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim said as her missile blew its target to bits. The Super Hornets went into Immelman maneuvers as the remaining Flankers flew above them. Robert switched to his AIM-9Xs as he entered a dogfight with one of the Flankers. He uncaged the seeker heads and used his HMS to lock onto the Flanker.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired a Sidewinder, which rolled off of the wingtip rail to a lethal kill.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Alright, let's get back with the bombers!" Robert ordered as he and the other three planes went back to the bomber formation. After they got back to the formation, AWACS warned them of SA-13 SAM sites in the area. The Shadow team were carrying very few air-to-ground weapons, but the SAMs were already being taken care of by F-16 Wild Weasel aircraft, so they were ignored, allowing the Shadow planes to focus on the aerial threats.

"Shadow, we've got contacts, bearing 265, 16 miles at angels 10, multiple Super Fulcrums confirmed." AWACS said a few minutes later. This time, Shadows 5-8 engaged them, while the others stayed with the bombers.

"Shadow 5, fox three!" Crystal called out as she fired the missile.

"Shadow 6, fox three!" Liz called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off.

"Shadow 8, fox three!" Brick called out as he took his shot.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" Caleb called out as he launched his missile. The MiG turned to evade, but the AMRAAMs were too fast, and too nimble and four more Super Fulcrums were destroyed.

"Shadow 5, splash one!" Liz called out as her missile hit yet another victim.

"Shadow 8, splash one!" Brick called out as his missile hit its mark.

"Shadow 6, splash one!" Liz called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb said as his missile blew its target to bits. Caleb switched to his AIM-9Xs as he entered a dogfight with one of the remaining Super Fulcrums. He uncaged the seeker heads and used his HMS to lock onto the bandit.

"Shadow 8, fox two!" Brick called out as he fired a Sidewinder, which rolled off of the wingtip rail to a lethal kill.

"Shadow 8, splash one!" Brick called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Alright, let's get back with the bombers!" Caleb said as he and the other three planes went back to the bomber formation.

"All threats have been destroyed! Good work, Shadow Flight!" AWACS said.

"We're just doing our jobs! No need to thank us! Besides, we're not exactly out of the woods yet!" Robert replied. A few minutes later, the bombers entered their run.

"This is Viking 1, we're nearing the target!" Viking 1's pilot said.

"Roger, Viking 1! Begin your bomb run!" AWACS ordered.

"Viking 1, bombs away!" Viking 1's WSO said as the bomber released its load of bombs at the target.

"Viking 2, bombs away!" Viking 2's WSO said as the rest of the bombers released their payloads.

"Bomb bay doors shut!" Viking 1's navigator reported. All of the bombs hit the weapons factory with devastating accuracy.

"All friendly ground units evacuate the area! Secondary explosions detected!" J-STARS Jackknife ordered just as massive secondary explosions began to erupt. Seconds later, the whole facility complex was wiped out in a massive explosion! The blast was so intense that it created a visible shock wave that radiated throughout the area. When the dust and smoke cleared, whatever remained was engulfed in massive flames.

"The weapons factory has been destroyed! Mission accomplished, all units return to base!" J-STARS said.

"Well, we did it!" Robert said as the squadron got into formation.

"Let's go home!" Irma said. The pilots flipped their master arm switches to SAFE and stayed near the bombers.

Once near the base, the F/A-18Fs descended to 3,000 feet while the bombers flew back to their base. Robert and the other pilots got into the holding pattern and Robert lowered his landing gear and half-flaps.

"Tower, Shadow 1 to land." Robert said. "Shadow 1, cleared to land; winds light and variable." The ATC said. "Tower, Shadow 1 checking in." Robert replied. "Shadow 1, we have you visual, continue inbound." The ATC said. Robert lined up for the final approach, lowered full flaps and activated the ILS. Robert continued on his current course and prepared for touchdown.

Robert and Irma heard the characteristic screech of the main landing wheels touching the runway. Robert slid the thrust levers to IDLE and applied the wheel brakes and spoilers.

"Shadow, clear the runway and taxi to parking." The ground controller said as Robert reached taxiing speed and got off of the runway at the nearest exit. Robert retracted the spoilers and raised the flaps as he taxied towards the flightline.

Robert arrived onto the flightline and taxied the plane to the nearest parking space. He then applied the parking brakes, shut off the primary systems, shut off the engines and opened the canopy. As Robert and Irma climbed out of the cockpit, they heard the roar of jet engines as Shadow 2 touched down on the runway.

Over the next hour, the rest of the squadron landed at the forward operations base.

Part 3: Supply Column Attack

13, December 2017, 5:04PM

Location: North Korea

The Shadow pilots were deployed at a forward operations airbase from which they would carry out most of their missions. When they reported to their base, they already had a new mission:

Destroy an enemy supply group that was possibly out to establish an outpost from which the enemy could launch attacks on American infantry units. This was a simple mission, so only four planes were going to go on this op.

The Shadow pilots got into their planes and got ready to taxi for takeoff.

"Ready, Tsunami?" Robert said to Irma as he closed the canopy.

"I'm ready, baby!" Irma replied as she strapped herself in.

"All right, let's do this!" Robert said as he started up the engines. The planes taxied to the runway in pairs and lined up for takeoff. The Shadow planes took off one pair at a time and headed for the convoy's location, which was programmed on their navigation computers.

"Sentinel, Shadow Flight is airborne, transition to strike." Robert said as he raised his plane's landing gear.

"Shadow, Sentinel, no new picture at this time, conditions are as fragged." AWACS replied.

"Sentinel, roger that." Robert replied as he began following the course to the convoy. It took them at least ten minutes to reach the targets. They armed their weapons as they got close to their targets.

They switched to air-to-ground mode as they made their approach. There were SA-13 SAM and ZSU-23 AAA units among the convoy's vehicles, so the Shadow pilots had to use extreme caution when they executed their attacks.

"Jackknife, Shadow, we have radar contact with the targets, request permission to engage." Robert said.

"Shadow, you are cleared hot onto targets." J-STARS replied.

"Roger, initiating attack." Robert replied. The squadron began its attack run on the convoy.

"Shadow 1, rifle!" Robert called out as he fired an AGM-65F Maverick at an SA-13 Gopher SAM battery.

"Shadow 2, rifle!" Kim called out as she fired two Mavericks at a pair of SA-13s.

"Shadow 3, magnum!" Will called out as she fired a pair of AGM-88 HARMs at a pair of ZSU-23 AAA units.

"Shadow 4, rifle!" Hay Lin called out as she fired a Maverick at another ZSU-23. The planes pulled back while the missiles closed in on their targets. After the missiles hit, they pulled into a steep climb until they got to 10,000 feet, then they went onto a steep dive, with airbrakes on and throttles idled to maximize the amount of time they had to drop their LGBs on the enemy supply trucks.

"Shadow 1, two away!" Robert called out as he released two Mk-82 500lb LGBs and pulled out of his dive.

"Shadow 2, two away!" Kim called out as she released two LGBs and leveled off.

"Shadow 3, two away!" Will called out as she dropped her two bombs and pulled out of her bombing dive.

"Shadow 4, two away!" Hay Lin called out as she dropped her two LGBs and pulled up. The planes retracted their spoilers as they pulled out of their dives. They circled around as they watched their bombs hit their targets dead-on.

"We have good hits!" Robert said as he watched the results of their bombing runs.

"Roger Shadow, no targets remaining, mission accomplished, return to base." J-STARS ordered.

"Roger Shadow returning to base." Robert replied as the pilots flipped their master arm switches to SAFE and formed up. Once near the base, the four Super Hornets descended to 3,000 feet on their way back to their base. Robert and the other three planes got into the holding pattern and Robert lowered his landing gear and half-flaps.

"Tower, Shadow 1 to land." Robert said. "Shadow 1, cleared to land; winds light and variable." The ATC said.

"Tower, Shadow 1 checking in." Robert replied.

"Shadow 1, we have you visual, continue inbound." The ATC said. Robert lined up for the final approach, lowered full flaps and activated the ILS. Robert continued on his current course and prepared for touchdown.

Robert and Irma heard the characteristic screech of the main landing wheels touching the runway.

Robert slid the thrust levers to IDLE and applied the wheel brakes and spoilers.

"Shadow, clear the runway and taxi to parking." The ground controller said as Robert reached taxiing speed and got off of the runway at the nearest exit. Robert retracted the spoilers and raised the flaps as he taxied towards the flightline.

Robert arrived onto the flightline and taxied the plane to the nearest parking space. He then applied the parking brakes, shut off the primary systems, shut off the engines and opened the canopy. As Robert and Irma climbed out of the cockpit, they heard the roar of jet engines as Shadow 2 touched down on the runway. Over the next twenty minutes, the other three planes landed at the forward operations base.

Part 4: First Ejection

16, December 2017, 9:00AM

Location: Central North Korea

Robert and Irma were prepping for a solo reconnaissance mission deep in enemy territory. All of the other pilots were worried because they were going alone in their spare F/A-18F fitted with recon cameras. Inside the ready room, Cornelia fell into Irma's arms before they left.

"Be careful out there." Cornelia said as Robert finished getting into his flight suit.

"I will." Irma replied. The other girls were trying not to cry as Cornelia and Irma broke from their embrace and Irma and Robert went to the flightline.

They went with them and waved goodbye as Robert and Irma climbed into the cockpit. They stood near the control tower as Robert started up the engines.

Robert began to taxi to the runway as he lowered the flaps to takeoff position.

"Tower, Shadow 1 for takeoff." Robert said on the radio as he held short of the runway.

"Shadow, cleared for takeoff, altitude restriction cancelled at this time, good luck." the ATC replied.

"Cleared for takeoff, altitude restriction cancelled, Shadow 1." Robert replied as he throttled up.

Once airborne, he raised the gear and flaps. Robert then activated the navigation system and put the plane on course towards the first waypoint. They turned the radio off to begin radio silence as they began flying the mission route.

After reaching the first waypoint, Robert then steered the plane on course to the second waypoint.

As they got close, Irma prepped the reconnaissance cameras. As soon as the plane passed the waypoint, she pressed the "record" button and the camera began to record images of the recon target.

"Camera's rolling." Irma said. After a few minutes, they finished their photo run and began their return.

Suddenly, the RWR beeped; they was being tracked!

"What the hell?" Irma said as she checked her primary display. Robert looked at his RWR display and found out that the threat was a lone SA-13 Gopher SAM that was locking on to their aircraft.

Robert throttled up the engines to full military power, hoping to get out of the SAM's range before it got a chance to lock on and launch.

Too late, the SAM launcher fired a single missile at Shadow 1!

"Shit!" Robert exclaimed as he jinked and dropped a burst of decoy flares.

Robert then carried out a 7.5G pushover to make a head-on pass by the missile, while he and Irma struggled to keep themselves from going into G-LOC.

Unfortunately, the missile was too close, and ended up clipping the starboard stabilator!

"SHIT!" Robert exclaimed as warning alarms sounded, and to make matters worse, another missile fired at their aircraft!

"EJECT, EJECT, EJECT!!!" Robert ordered as he barely managed to level the crippled plane.

Irma immediately pulled her ejection handle and the system jettisoned the canopy with explosive bolts.

An instant later, Irma's ejection seat fired, propelling her out of the damaged plane and out of harm's way, her parachute opening a split-second later.

Robert then pulled his ejection handle and was also rocketed out of the plane. His parachute opened and Robert and Irma watched as the second missile blew their aircraft to bits.

Meanwhile, all of the other Shadow pilots were watching TV in the pilots' lounge.

Just then, the base operations commander came in.

The pilots saluted the commander, who returned their salute and proceeded to tell them the bad news.

"We just found out that Lieutenant Commander Castellanos and Lieutenant Lair's plane was shot down by a SAM during their mission. We have confirmation that they ejected safely and we are now initiating search-and-rescue procedures immediately." The commander said.

When the commander left, Cornelia's heart sank at the thought of Robert and Irma being out there all alone, being hunted down by the enemy. Tears welled up in her eyes at that thought.

"No...she can't be...it's not possible." she whispered as the others sat on the lounge's couch close to her.

Cornelia fell crying into Hay Lin's arms, knowing that there was a possibility that Robert and Irma could be dead. Hay Lin broke down and cried seconds later and Will and Taranee cried in each other's arms.

They all thought that Robert and Irma were dead until the TV showed the image showed the footage of Robert's ejection from Shadow 1's on-board camera. The girls breathed a sigh of relief, but were still worried.

Meanwhile, the flight crews scrambled to prepare an MH-60S Seahawk and six AH-64E Sea Apache helicopters of the Sea Hunters team for a CSAR mission. They knew that Robert had to be alive out there.

Meanwhile, Robert and Irma were parachuting slowly to the ground, looking for a good place to land. Robert finally saw a large clearing that was completely free of North Korean forces and steered his parachute towards it.

Irma followed close behind. Five minutes after they punched out, Robert and Irma landed safely on the ground, but knew that they were not out of harm's way yet. They drew their 9mm handguns and looked around, watching out for any enemy forces in the area.

Meanwhile, the Seahawk took off, with the six Seabow gunships for escort. The helicopters would later be escorted by an AC-130U Spectre gunship, which was on standby until the helicopters confirmed Robert and Irma's location.

Meanwhile, Robert saw a lone North Korean soldier walking around and put the silencer on his pistol.

"Hang tight, I've got this." he whispered as he took aim and fired a shot at the soldier. The bullet hit the soldier in the head, killing him instantly.

Robert then walked over and picked up the soldier's AK-47 assault rifle.

"Here, you need this more than I do." Robert said as he handed Irma the AK-47. They walked around and saw a group of North Korean soldiers walking towards their parachutes.

"Shit, they know we're here! Follow me and stay close!" Robert whispered as he and Irma walked away quietly, trying not to attract the enemy's attention. Once in a safe place, Robert got out his survival radio and turned it on.

"Zulu base, this is Blaze, do you read?" Robert asked.

"Blaze. This is Zulu base, go ahead." The base commander replied.

"Shadow 1 is down, I say again, Shadow 1 is down and we are on the run." Robert replied.

"Blaze, we copy and are sending rescue units now, state your count." the base commander replied.

"All present and accounted for, what is the location for pickup?" Robert asked.

"The pickup location is ten miles from your location, bearing 265, can you make it?" the base commander asked. Robert got out his map and he and Irma checked it carefully.

"That's going to be a long walk." Irma said.

"Yeah, but one, it's our best bet, and two, I've walked that distance before, so I know that we have a chance." Robert replied.

"Affirmative, the current rally point is doable, and we are on our way now, Blaze out." Robert said on the radio, replying to the base commander's last transmission.

Robert and Irma carefully checked to see if the enemy patrol had left. They noticed that the coast was clear and they quietly rushed over to where their ejection seats landed.

"What are you doing?" Irma asked.

"The photos we took are in a hard drive that is stored in the ejection seats. We can't let this all be for nothing." Robert replied as he got out his survival knife and got to work opening the hard drive storage box on the seat.

Irma kept watch with the AK-47 while Robert got the storage box open. He slipped the hard drive out and put it into one of the pockets on his flight suit.

"OK, I got it, now we can head to the rally point." Robert said as he and Irma began walking towards the rally point.

During their walk, they kept a careful eye out for enemy soldiers. Eight hours later, the two now-tired Naval aviators arrived at the rally point. "Blaze, this is Zulu base, have you arrived at the rally point?" the base commander asked Robert over the radio.

"Affirmative, we have arrived at the rally point. What is the ETA of the rescue units?" Robert asked.

"They should arrive in twelve minutes." The base commander replied.

Robert then activated his distress beacon and helped the rescue team confirm he and Irma's whereabouts. Sure enough, a minute later, the pilot of the Seahawk detected the signal from Robert's beacon!

"This is Sea Hunter 1, we've got a distress signal, I say again, we've got a distress signal!" The Seahawk pilot said.

"Roger, Sea Hunter 1, proceed with the extraction." The base commander ordered. The helicopters turned towards the source of the signal. The AC-130 then took off and rendezvoused with the helicopters for the rescue.

Ten minutes later, Robert and Irma heard the familiar sound of a Seahawk helicopter's rotors, and when they looked up, they saw a lone Seahawk, with six Sea Apaches coming in low, and an AC-130U gunship higher up. Robert lit a signal flare and waved it in the air. The Seahawk pilot saw the flare and landed. Irma dropped the AK-47, knowing that she no longer needed it now that they was being rescued.

They ran onto the helicopter and quickly sat down as a crew member slid the door closed.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out; enemy forces have spotted them! The pilot quickly pulled up, with Robert and Irma on board, to avoid the enemy fire. The choppers left the area and headed towards the base, with the Spectre gunship providing cover fire.

Fifteen minutes later, the Seahawk landed on the flightline of the base, where the other Shadow pilots were waiting. Cornelia saw that Robert and Irma were alive and fell crying into her arms.

"Oh, Irma, I thought you were goners out there!" she sobbed as Irma and Robert comforted her.

"It's OK, we managed to pull through. It was tough, but our training really helped us survive." Irma replied. Hearing that, Cornelia broke the embrace and wiped her tears.

The commander then asked Robert if he got the recon data. Robert smiled and said, "Yes, sir! Got it right here!" he then handed him the reconnaissance data hard drive.

The photos were taken to the intelligence lab to be analyzed.

"That was just like the movie." Robert said.

"Yeah, but this also had a happy ending." Irma replied. Robert and Irma slept hard that night, tired from their ordeal.

Part 5: Base attack

18, December 2017, 12:00M

Location: Central North Korea

The photos that were taken revealed an aircraft storage and testing base located near the western coastline. The Shadow team prepared to launch a nighttime airstrike against the base.

After the briefing, they headed to their planes. The pilots carried out their pre-flight checks as the turbines started up. Once they started up their engines, they got ready to taxi.

"Tower, Shadow Flight for takeoff." Robert said on the radio. "Shadow cleared to taxi, check altimeter, hold short of runway." The ATC replied. "Shadow, cleared to taxi." Robert said as he and the other pilots lowered their flaps to takeoff position.

They got into pairs as they made their way to the runway. Robert and Kim's planes lined up first, with the others close behind.

"Tower, Shadow Flight for takeoff." Robert said as they turned onto the runway.

"Shadow, cleared for takeoff, climb and maintain angels 3, begin radio silence once airborne, good luck." The ATC replied.

"Shadow, cleared for takeoff." Robert replied as he and Kim shoved their throttles forward to apply full power.

After reaching 135kts, they pulled back on their control sticks and climbed into the air.

Once the planes were airborne, they raised their gear, flaps and flew immediately to the combat zone with their FLIR pods and their night-vision systems turned on.

They stayed below 1,000 ft and went into radio silence to avoid being detected by enemy forces.

"Wow, our first night strike. I'm kinda nervous." Will said.

"Relax! You'll do just fine, I know it!" Matt replied as he armed his aircraft's weapons. The team was approaching the targets and split up to engage.

Robert armed his cluster bombs and lined up for his first bombing run. He watched the target carefully on his FLIR display.

"Shadow 1, one away!" He called out as he dropped a cluster bomb on the flightline and watched as it burst open and its sub munitions spread out and hit the aircraft on the tarmac with devastating results! Will began her attack run.

"Shadow 3, two away!" she said as she dropped a pair of GBU-31 JDAMs on an aircraft storage facility and a maintenance hangar.

"Boom, shaka-laka-laka BOOM!" she said as she watched her bombs hit their targets. Only one enemy plane managed to get airborne, but was caught by Robert, who promptly targeted it with an AIM-9X.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired the missile at the enemy Super Fulcrum.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert said as his missile destroyed the MiG-35. Caleb targeted the base's control tower.

"Shadow 7, one away!" Caleb called out as he dropped a 2000lb laser-guided bomb.

"Good hit, good hit!" Brick said as he watched the control tower explode.

"Shadow 5, one away!" Crystal called out as she dropped an AGM-154 JSOW(Joint-Stand-Off-Weapon) on a hanger.

"We have good hits!" Robert called out as he confirmed the destruction of the hangar.

"Shadow 4, two away!" Hay Lin said as she dropped two LGBs on the two remaining hangars.

"Enemy facilities destroyed, we did it!" Tara said as they climbed away.

Two minutes later, a Predator UAV arrived to asses the damage, allowing the Shadow team to leave the airspace.

The fighters went into formation and went began the run to the base. Suddenly, an urgent call came in on the radio.

"Emergency, we have enemy reinforcements arriving by air in your operational airspace! Intercept all enemy reinforcements immediately!" AWACS said. The Shadow planes jettisoned their remaining air-to-ground ordnance in preparation for air-to-air combat. Each plane was carrying three AIM-120D AMRAAMs and two AIM-9X Sidewinders. Robert used one of his Sidewinders during the earlier part of the mission. Their radars detected a group of MiG-35s and a group of Su-37s approaching the area.

"I've got tone!" Robert called out as he locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" he called out as he fired an AMRAAM at a Super Fulcrum.

"Shadow 4, fox three!" Hay Lin called out as she fired a missile at another MiG. Suddenly, the Super Fulcrums fired a barrage of R-77 Adders!

"MISSILES INBOUND, ALL PLANES BREAK, BREAK, BREAK!!" Robert ordered as the Super Hornets began evasive maneuvers while releasing chaff. By the time they evaded the missiles, the two AMRAAMs hit their marks.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin called out. The Super Hornets then fired a barrage of AMRAAMs at the enemy formation.

"Fox three!" the pilots called out as the missiles shot away.

By the time the missiles hit, there were three MiG-35s and two Su-37s remaining.

The Shadows fired another barrage of AMRAAMs and managed to destroy the remaining enemy fighters.

"Airspace sanitized, return to base." AWACS ordered. The Shadows returned to base victorious, but unaware that one won't be so lucky during the next fight, which will come after their leave.


	8. Third Leave: Party

Chapter 7: Third Leave: Party

12, February 2018 6:00PM

Location: Robert's house (Western Heatherfield)

Irma and Robert decided to have a party at Robert's house to celebrate the squadron's promotion as well as their recent achievements in combat. Irma invited Taranee, Hay Lin,

Nigel, Eric, Matt, Caleb, Cornelia and Elyon; while Robert invited Kim, Ron, Will, and the pilots from the Tophatters and Eagle teams.

Robert took care of refreshments while Irma took care of the planned for the party to last all night. Robert went to the store to pick up some snacks as well as other necessities. Once he got back, he and Irma set up a dance floor in the basement. At 12:00N, the guests began to arrive.

First came Will and Cornelia, followed by Taranee, Elyon and Hay Lin. The other guests arrived a half-hour later.

At that moment, the party began. The guests were already wearing their swimsuits when they arrived and they immediately jumped into the swimming pool.

Robert brought out his stereo and turned it on before going inside to change into his trunks. _Wow, this is going great! _Robert thought as he came out. A few minutes later Irma went towards the bathroom.

"Wait here, baby. I want to surprise you." Irma said as she winked and went into the bathroom to change. After a few minutes, Irma came out wearing her blue bikini.

"Let's have some fun!" Irma said as they went into the pool area. Irma jumped in first, with Robert close behind. Robert surfaced first and looked around and saw Irma coming up. He just couldn't help but stare as Irma came out and waved her gorgeous brown hair.

Two hours later, Robert got out and turned on the hot tub and got in. The others got out of the pool and went into the hot tub as well. After an hour, they got out and dried off before going inside. They then changed out of their swimsuits and that's when the party got really good.

The partiers went into the basement-turned-dance floor and got their groove on. Robert let Alchemy operate the stereo system and got onto the dance floor with the others. Just to be funny, Robert started doing the Robot, which made Cornelia, Hay Lin and Irma laugh.

"Your boyfriend's a great party guy." Bloom said as she danced next to Irma.

"Yeah, nothing ever goes wrong at his parties." Irma replied.

"That, and he has a great taste in dance music." Musa added.

"Yeah, he definitely knows what we all like." Will replied. Irma and all of the other girls were dancing in an awesome manner, but Irma's dancing was the some of the best, and Robert and Cornelia couldn't help but watch.

The next song that came on was the Macarena.

"OOH, THIS IS MY JAM!" Alchemy said as she rushed to the dance floor.

As the song went on, everybody did the dance in near-perfect unison.

"Wow, we're so good, I wish we had a camera!" Hay Lin said as the song reached its halfway point.

"Yeah, this would look great on the Internet!" Cornelia replied. After the song ended, a slow-dance song came on.

Each couple slow-danced with each other.

"This is one of my favorite parts of any party." Irma said as her lips met Robert's. They stayed in that passionate embrace until the next song came on.

After the next two songs, the partiers left the dance floor. They saw that Alchemy had set up the karaoke machine in the basement's home theater room.

"Wow, a sing-a-thon, too?" Irma asked. "

Yep, looks like that's a party standard nowadays." Cornelia replied.

"Sweet, I like that idea!" Will exclaimed.

"This is gonna be great!" Taranee said.

"All right, let's do it!" Hay Lin said as she took the stage first. The other guests sat down to watch, with Robert, Caleb, Eric, Matt and Nigel sitting in the front row.

Hay Lin smiled as she held the microphone and began to sing. The crowd was mesmerized by Hay Lin's voice as she sang an upbeat song.

Eric was practically in a trance by the time the song was nearly over. _Wow, they must really be enjoying themselves. Then again, why wouldn't they? _Hay Lin thought as she finished singing the last few lines.

Everyone applauded when the song ended. Hay Lin walked off and handed the microphone to Cornelia as she got on stage. Irma pressed the PLAY button and the room once again fell silent as Cornelia began.

Caleb stared at his wife, who was showing the pop star within her. Irma was also fascinated by Cornelia's awesome voice, which filled the room with every line.

The cheering started once again when Cornelia finished singing. Will then got up and high-fived her as she took the microphone.

The cheering stopped when the music began. Will smiled and began singing.

Taranee and Matt were speechless as the song went through its first chorus. _Wow, Will picked a good one! It's so beautiful, especially when she does it! _Taranee thought as she watched attentively. _Wow, she's so talented, I think she could be a good professional singer! _Matt thought as the song approached its end.

"Wow *sniff* that was beautiful!" Taranee said as she wiped off a tear after Will was done, at which point the room was once again filled with the sounds of cheering. This time, Taranee and Monique were going to do a duet.

The room fell silent as the song began. Will was staring in fascination as Taranee and Monique sang their duet flawlessly. Will was practically hypnotized as they sang the last lines.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Will said as the song ended. After the cheering started again. Taranee and Monique walked off as Irma took the stage.

"This one's for you, dear!" she said to Robert as the song began. Robert stared as if in a trance as Irma sang with a beautiful tone. _Wow, I can see her as a singer in the next five years or so!_ Robert thought as Irma began the last part of the song.

Once Irma's song was over, the whole room exploded in applause. Irma blushed as everyone cheered and cheered. "How was that?" Irma asked Robert. "Dear, you just get better and better every time." Robert replied.

"Oh, you!" Irma said as she kissed him.

A few minutes later, they all left the room.

"Hey, who wants to have a partner shoot-off?" Robert asked. The rest of the partiers cheered as they went to the basement shooting range.

Robert opened his gun safe and got out his AK-47, his AR-15, his Dragunov, his 30-06, his .22 rifle and his array of handguns while Irma prepared the targets in each stall. The others began checking out the guns as Robert got out the ammunition and loaded the magazines.

Everyone each got out a pair of earplugs and put them in.

Irma and Robert got the AK-47, while Cornelia and Caleb got the AR-15, Will and Matt got the Dragunov, Taranee and Nigel got the .30-06 bolt-action rifle, Hay Lin and Eric got the Glock-17, Musa and Bloom got the Desert Eagle .357 magnum, Techna and Flora got the Colt .45 semiautomatic pistol, and Alchemy, Elyon and June got the 12-guage pump-action shotgun. Each gun had two magazines, except for the 30-06 and the shotgun, which had no separate external magazines.

Each pair picked up their gun and took aim.

"Game time!" Robert said as everyone began shooting all at once. The room began to echo with the sound of gunfire as the bullets flew.

After the first magazines were empty, the pairs handed the guns to their partners and reloaded them while Robert and Irma set up a new set of targets. Once the new targets were ready, the shooters took aim and got ready.

"Weapons free!" Robert shouted , signaling the next volley of bullets, which began flying.

"THIS IS FUN!!!" Alchemy shouted over the noise of gunfire. After the magazines were empty, everyone handed the guns to Robert, who put them back into the safe.

They all went back upstairs and all of the guests began to leave because the party was now over.

Robert and Irma then went to the bedroom. "Whew, parties can be real tiring sometimes!" Irma said as they lied down on the bed.

"Yeah, just like flying: tiring, but fun." Robert replied.

"Yeah, I hope the others had as much fun as we did." Irma said. "I'm sure they did; after all, who doesn't?" Robert replied as Irma got under the covers.

Robert put in an action movie and got under the covers with Irma. They watched the movie and afterwards, Robert turned off the TV and the DVD player and they were both asleep within minutes.


	9. Third Deployment

Chapter 8: Third Deployment

Part 1: Sea of Carnage

2, March 2018 12:00N

Location: Yellow Sea(Western North Korea)

The USS Gerald R. Ford battle group was making its way through the Yellow Sea when the ships' radar network detected a large North Korean Navy fleet that was arranged in a formation designed to block the U.S.'s fleet's path.

The enemy fleet consisted of four cruisers, four destroyers, and five frigates.

"All hands to general quarters, general quarters! Enemy fleet spotted!" rang on the P.A. systems on all of the ships. Four of the Shadow squadron's planes were loaded with four AGM-84L Harpoon anti-ship missiles each, as well as the wingtip Sidewinders and fuselage AMRAAMs; while the other four were each armed with two Harpoons and six extra AMRAAMs.

Alarms sounded as the Shadow aircrew scrambled for their F/A-18F Super Hornets. Meanwhile, an E-2C Hawkeye AWACS(callsign Watchman) launched to serve as the fleet's "eye in the sky" during the battle.

"Wow, we get a naval battle! This will get interesting!" Irma said as Shadow 1 was positioned on the #1 catapult. Seconds later, the F-18's afterburners lit up, producing a loud roar that echoed throughout the flight deck.

The plane then jolted as the catapult fired, launching Shadow 1 into the sky. Two minutes later, all of the Shadow planes were in the air, ready for battle.

"This is Watchman to Shadow flight, the enemy ships are approaching missile range! Take them out before they get the chance to fire!" the Hawkeye ordered.

"Roger that! Engaging the enemy fleet!" Robert replied as the squadron split to engage. The enemy ships were slowly getting closer to the American fleet. The Shadow team split up to cover the entire fleet, flying low to avoid the ships' SAM guidance radars.

"Shadow 1, firing!" Robert called out as he began the battle by firing a Harpoon at an enemy destroyer. A minute later, the missile connected, fatally damaging the ship. Meanwhile, Kim approached her target, which was a pair of cruisers.

"Shadow 2, firing!" she called out as she fired two missiles at the ships, which were hit and sunk. Will made a low-level approach to a pair of enemy frigates and locked on.

"Shadow 3, firing!" she called out as she fired her missiles. Brick lined up for a run on another pair of destroyers.

"Shadow 8, firing!" he called out as he fired his missiles. All four missiles hit their marks, causing absolute devastation. Robert locked onto the remaining destroyer and a frigate.

"Shadow 1, firing!" he called out as he fired his missiles. A minute later, the missiles hit the targets, causing fatal damage. Caleb made his approach on another pair of cruisers and locked on.

"Shadow 7, firing!" he called out as he fired. The missiles hit, causing massive damage. By this time, all four destroyers, two cruisers, and three frigates have been sunk, and two more cruisers have been damaged. Suddenly a call came out, "This is the Gerald R. Ford, enemy reinforcements are entering the mission zone! snap to heading 315 to intercept!"

"Roger, we're on our way!" Robert replied as they turned to the northwest to intercept the enemy reinforcements.

The reinforcements were a group of five destroyers, two aircraft carriers that had a design similar to that of the British Royal Navy's modern carriers, four cruisers and six frigates. The U.S. fleet's destroyers destroyed the remains of the original fleet.

The planes landed to resupply. Once the planes were in position, the armorers rushed out towards the aircraft with a full set of Harpoons. The fueling team attached the hose to the refueling port on the right side of the nose, under the air-refueling probe of each aircraft.

Five minutes later, the hoses were detached and the armorers cleared the deck. Robert then taxied to the #4 catapult. Once in position, Robert lowered the launch bar, extended the outer wings and applied takeoff flaps. The blast deflector was raised into position and the holdback was attached to the back of the nose gear.

"Shadow 1, cleared launch." the air boss said to Robert. Robert applied full throttle and waited.

Seconds later, the catapult fired, launching Robert's plane back into the action. Robert raised the launch bar, gear and flaps. He changed the displays as necessary and armed his weapons systems and switched to air-to-ground mode as he flew back towards the mission zone.

The others launched after him. The squadron split off, with Shadows 5-8 providing air cover. Robert lined up his plane for a shot at an enemy carrier. After ten seconds, he achieved missile lock.

"Shadow 1, firing!" he called out as he fired two of his missiles. One of the missiles hit the carrier's hull's mid-section just above the waterline, while the second one was destroyed by machine-gun fire. Will pulled next to him and locked onto the carrier.

"Shadow 3, firing!" she called out as she fired two of her Harpoons. They both hit the carrier's mid-section, one of them going into the hole that was made by Robert's missile. The damaged ship began to sink as the planes engaged other targets.

Meanwhile, Shadow 2 was beginning her attack run on a pair of enemy destroyers. She managed to lock on as she got close.

"Shadow 2, firing!" she called out as she fired two of her Harpoons at the ships. The missiles flew low as they closed in on their targets. A minute later, they hit the destroyers, disabling them.

"Warning, we have detected bandits launching from the enemy carrier! Intercept immediately!" AWACS ordered. The other four planes went to engage.

"Shadow 5, fox three!" Liz called out as she fired an AMRAAM at an enemy Su-33. Hay Lin spotted the bandits launching and targeted the enemy carrier.

"Shadow 4, firing!" she called out as she fired her Harpoon, making sure that it would hit the flight deck. The AMRAAM hit the Su-33, blowing it to bits. "Shadow 5, splash one!" Liz called out as she watched the action.

The Harpoon that Hay Lin launched got past the enemy carrier's defenses and slammed into the middle of the flight deck. The resulting explosion blew a massive hole in the flight deck, rendering it useless.

"Good shot, Shadow 4!" Robert said as he engaged the last Su-33 that took off. He switched to his Sidewinders and locked on with his HMS.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as the missile rolled off of his starboard wingtip rail. The missile went up the right tailpipe and detonated.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

Meanwhile, Kim approached her next target, which was a pair of cruisers.

"Shadow 2, firing!" she called out as she fired her last two missiles at the ships, which were hit and sunk. Will made a low-level approach to a pair of enemy frigates and locked on.

"Shadow 3, firing!" she called out as she fired her last two missiles. Brick lined up for a run on another pair of destroyers.

"Shadow 8, firing!" he called out as he fired his missiles. All four missiles hit their marks, causing absolute devastation. Brick locked onto the remaining destroyer and a frigate.

"Shadow 8, firing!" he called out as he fired his missiles. A minute later, the missiles hit the targets, causing fatal damage. Caleb made his approach on another pair of cruisers and locked on.

"Shadow 7, firing!" he called out as he fired his two missiles. The missiles hit, causing massive damage. By this time, all five of the enemy destroyers, all four cruisers and three frigates have been sunk. Hay Lin targeted an enemy frigate, while Robert targeted another.

"Shadow 4, firing!" Hay Lin said as she fired her missile.

"Shadow 1, firing!" Robert called out as he fired his missile. The missiles hit the frigates, putting them out of action. Suddenly, Robert spotted two smoke trails coming from the frigate towards the American fleet.

"All friendly ships be advised, enemy anti-ship missile launches detected!" Robert said as he tracked the enemy missiles. He watched as one of the missiles exploded in mid-air, obviously destroyed by Phalanx fire. He watched in horror as one of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers was hit by the remaining missile. _SHIT! I hope that ship is still seaworthy! _Robert thought as he flew towards the last enemy carrier.

Hay Lin targeted the last frigate with her last Harpoon. "Shadow 4, firing!" she called out as she fired her missile. The missile flew towards its target and punched through the deck before detonating inside.

Robert then proceeded to target the other carrier with his last Harpoon missile.

"Shadow 1, firing!" he called out as he fired. The missile hit the side of the hull and set off the ship's aviation fuel supplies, triggering a massive explosion that sank the ship in seconds!

"Mission accomplished, Shadow flight! Return to home plate!" AWACS said after the fireball subsided.

"Roger that, AWACS!" Robert said as the team proceeded to land on the Gerald R. Ford. The Gerald R. Ford fleet moved on towards the front lines, on the Yellow Sea's western shoreline.

An hour after landing, the pilots were in the pilots' lounge relaxing when they were called into the briefing room.

"We just got intelligence from a team of SEALS that were on the front lines that a large enemy fleet is parked at a large seaport getting ready to set off. We will be launching an attack on this fleet and the port facilities tomorrow, before they get a chance to set off for a possible attack on our forces. Your planes are being rearmed and refueled as we speak. Get some rest and we will fill you in on the major details during the mission briefing; dismissed." The briefing officer said.

The Shadow pilots saluted the briefing officer, who returned their salute before the Shadow pilots left the briefing room.

"Man that was a rough one!" Irma said as they got back to the pilots' lounge.

"Yeah, but tomorrow will be rougher." Robert replied.

"Yeah, but it won't be impossible, that's for sure!" Taranee added. "Yeah, I have a good feeling that tomorrow will be one of the most intense missions we will have ever flown." Robert replied as they went to their bunks.

Part 2: Shipyard Attack

3, April 2018

Location: western shore of the Yellow Sea

The squadron's mission was to engage and destroy the shipyard and any ships that were docked there. The Shadow planes launched from the carrier and proceeded to the mission zone.

"Let's do it!" Will said as she and her fellow pilots entered the area. "Contacts detected, bearing 090, they look like MiG-35s!" AWACS said.

"Roger, proceeding to engage the enemy!" Robert replied. The Shadow squad then headed west to engage the enemy fighters.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert said as he fired an AMRAAM at the nearest MiG. The missile connected, tearing the aircraft in two. "Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill. The other planes engaged the rest of the enemy aircraft.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as she fired her missile. "Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as she fired.

"Shadow 4, fox three!" Hay Lin called out as she fired her missile. The missiles flew towards their targets at Mach 4, destroying them on impact.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as she confirmed her kill.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as she watched her target explode. "Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin called out as she watched the results.

"Primary target detected, ETA five minutes! Shadows, you are cleared hot!" J-STARS said.

"With pleasure!" Taranee said as they went to begin the attack.

Three minutes later, the attack began. Robert closed in and locked onto a frigate that was docked at the facility. "Shadow 1, firing!" he called out as he fired a Harpoon missile. The missile hit the target and blew it to bits.

Meanwhile, Shadow 2 was beginning her attack run on a pair of enemy destroyers. She managed to lock on as she got close.

"Shadow 2, firing!" she called out as she fired two of her Harpoons at the ships. The missiles flew low as they closed in on their targets. A minute later, they hit the destroyers, disabling them. Brick came in and lined up for a run on an enemy supply ship.

"Shadow 8, one away!" he called out as he dropped an Mk-83 1,000lb bomb on the ship. Robert was lining up for a cluster bomb run on a group of naval base facilities.

"Shadow 1, one away!" he called out as he released the weapon. The cluster bomb burst open and released its deadly load onto the base facilities below. The facilities were destroyed by the deadly shower.

Meanwhile, Kim approached her next target, which was a pair of cruisers. "Shadow 2, firing!" she called out as she fired her last two missiles at the ships, which were hit and sunk in their docks. Will made a low-level approach to a pair of enemy frigates and locked on.

"Shadow 3, firing!" she called out as she fired her last two missiles. Brick lined up for a run on another pair of destroyers.

"Shadow 8, firing!" he called out as he fired his missiles. All four missiles hit their marks, causing absolute devastation. Brick locked onto another destroyer and a frigate.

"Shadow 8, firing!" he called out as he fired his last two missiles. A minute later, the missiles hit the targets, causing fatal damage. Caleb made his approach on another pair of cruisers and locked on.

"Shadow 7, firing!" he called out as he fired his two missiles. The missiles hit, causing massive damage. By this time, five of the enemy destroyers, four cruisers and three frigates have been sunk. Hay Lin targeted an enemy frigate, while Robert targeted another.

"Shadow 4, firing!" Hay Lin said as she fired her missile.

"Shadow 1, firing!" Robert called out as he fired his missile. The missiles hit the frigates, putting them out of action.

"Warning, we have additional bandits inbound bearing 100, multiple MiG-29Ks, 17 miles at angels 3." AWACS said. Some of the Shadow planes went to engage the bandits while the rest continued the attack.

"Shadow 5, fox three!" Crystal called out as she fired an AMRAAM at a MiG.

"Shadow 6, fox three!" Liz called out as she launched her missile.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired his last missile. The missiles were so fast that by the time the MiGs tried to evade, it was too late.

"Shadow 5, splash one!" Crystal called out as she confirmed her kill.

"Shadow 6, splash one." Liz called out as she watched the results.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

The remaining MiGs closed in and one of them fired an R-73 at Shadow 5! "Shadow 5, missile, break!" Robert ordered when he spotted the missile. Crystal carried out evasive action while releasing flares. She managed to dodge the missile before the MiGs passed.

Robert got behind a MiG as it crossed his path. He managed to get into position for a gun kill.

"I'm too close for missiles, switching to guns!" Robert said as he got closer. He lined the reticle up and pulled the trigger for a second-long burst. The F/A-18F shuddered as its M61A2 fired a second's worth of bullets.

Most of the bullets hit the MiG, causing it to burst into flames. "Shadow 1, splash two!" Robert called out as he watched the MiG go down. "Shadow 1, we've got one on our tail!" Will said shortly after.

"What's your position?" Robert asked. "We're at your 9o'clock! Hurry!" Will replied. Robert looked and saw the MiG coming up behind Will's plane. "Hang on! I'm on my way!" Robert said as he went into a 7.5G pushover to get behind the MiG that was targeting Shadow 3.

Robert uncaged the seekers and used his HMS to get the lock. "Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired a Sidewinder heat-seeking missile. The missile went straight up the MiG's left tailpipe, causing it to explode in flames.

"Thanks, Blaze!" Will said as they went back to the target area.

By this time, five of the Shadow planes had Harpoon missiles. Robert locked onto a pair of carriers as they tried to leave the docks.

"Shadow 1, firing!" he called out as he fired his last two missiles. The missiles hit the carriers, causing heavy damage. Caleb targeted another supply ship and a frigate as he closed in.

"Shadow 7, firing!" he called out as he fired his last two missiles. Hay Lin targeted a trio of destroyers that were trying to flee the base. _Oh, no you don't! You're not getting away from us!_ She thought as she closed in on her targets.

"Shadow 4, firing!" she called out as she fired her missiles. The missiles penetrated their targets, causing them to explode from the inside.

Crystal locked onto a group of frigates that were underway in an attempt to escape. She came in low as she locked on. "Shadow 5, firing!" she called out as she fired all four of her missiles, one at each target. The missiles hit their marks, disabling the frigates.

Liz targeted the last pair of destroyers that were beginning to leave the area. "Shadow 6, firing!" she called out as she fired her missiles. She then circled around towards the last pair of frigates that were heading for open waters.

She activated her afterburners as she closed in for the kill. "Shadow 6, firing!" she called out as she fired her last two Harpoons. All four missiles hit and disabled their targets. "OK, now for the base facilities!" Robert ordered as the formed up.

The planes landed and were rearmed with Paveway III 2,000lb laser-guided bombs. The planes launched again and targeted the enemy base facilities. They armed their bombs and lined up on their targets.

"Shadow 1, two away!" Robert called out as he dropped a pair of bombs on a communications post and a supply storage warehouse.

"Shadow 2, two away!" Kim called out as she dropped two of her bombs on a pair of docking berths.

"Shadow 3, two away!" Will called out as she dropped two of her LGBs on another pair of berths.

"Shadow 4, two away!" Hay Lin called out as she dropped a pair of bombs on a pair of hangars at a nearby military helicopter base.

"Shadow 5, four away!" Crystal called out as she dropped her bombs on a group of Mi-24 Hinds that were revving up on the heliport's flightline.

"Shadow 6, two away!" Liz called out as she dropped two of her bombs on the heliport's control tower and a nearby ammo dump.

"Shadow 7, four away!" Caleb called out as he dropped all four of his bombs on a group of ammo dumps that were by the docks.

"Shadow 8, four away!" Brick called out as he dropped all his bombs on a group of armored vehicles that were parked by the berths. The bombs hit their marks within twenty seconds, causing absolute carnage.

"We have good hits!" Robert reported as he and the rest of the squadron circled around for another pass. Shadow 8, Shadow 7 and Shadow 5 broke away as the rest lined up on the remaining targets.

"Shadow 1, two away!" Robert called out as he dropped his remaining bombs on a pair of machine gun bunkers between the heliport and the naval docks.

"Shadow 2, two away!" Kim called out as she dropped her remaining bombs on the last pair of hangars on the heliport.

"Shadow 3, two away!" Will called out as she dropped her remaining bombs on another pair of bunkers near the berths.

"Shadow 4, two away!" Hay Lin called out as she dropped her last two bombs on two of the remaining berths.

"Shadow 6, two away!" Liz called out as she dropped her last bombs on the last pair of berths. All of the bombs hit their targets with devastating precision, causing absolute destruction.

"All targets neutralized, return to home plate." J-STARS ordered. The Shadows set their master arm switches to SAFE and returned to the carrier. After a week, the Shadows were transferred to a FOB near the western front lines.

Little did they know that in over two months, they would face the most intense dogfight of their lives.

Part 3: Skies of Destruction

20, May 2018 11:39AM

Location: Fields near western North Korea

A group of C-17A Globemaster III transport jets were en-route to deploy troops and armored units to the front lines. Unfortunately, The North Korean Army has deployed various anti-aircraft units in a large field near the Taedong River in the path of the transports.

The Shadow team was given the task of clearing out these AA units so that the transports can get through. The team took off from the base and proceeded to the field.

"OK, this is it! Spread out and engage." Robert ordered as the fighters split up and began the mission.

"Shadow 1, magnum!" Robert called out as he fired an AGM-88 HARM at an SA-19 SAM.

"Shadow 4, one away!" Hay Lin called out as she dropped an Mk-82 500lb bomb on a ZSU-23 AAA unit. Both weapons connected and destroyed their targets.

Suddenly, Robert felt a slight jolt and the master caution alarm sounded. At the same time, Robert heard the unmistakable sound of an engine losing thrust. "DAMN!!" Robert said as he checked the warning panel and saw that the status warning light for the left engine was on. Robert and Irma's plane had been hit and the left engine had been damaged and disabled!

"What is it?" Irma asked. "It's our #1 engine, it's been hit!" Robert replied as he slid the left thrust lever to IDLE and flipped the left engine fuel flow switch to off. Meanwhile, Will saw smoke coming from Shadow 1's left rear fuselage.

"Blaze, Tsunami, are you guys OK? You look like you've been hit!" she said as she pulled in closer. "Yeah, we're OK! Our plane isn't exactly 100%, but it can still fly." Robert replied. Meanwhile, two of the other planes targeted a pair of SA-13 Gophers.

"Shadow 5, magnum!" Crystal called out as she fired a HARM at one SAM.

"Shadow 8, magnum!" Brick called out as he fired a HARM at the other SAM. The SAMs were obliterated and were no longer a threat.

Now, all that remained was a pair of ZSU-23s and an SA-19.

"Shadow 7, magnum!" Caleb called out as he fired a HARM at the SAM. The HARM homed in on the Sam's guidance radar and blew it to pieces. Kim lined up for a run on the AAA units.

"Shadow 2, rifle!" she called out as she fired an AGM-65F Maverick. The missile struck the target and obliterated it. Will lined up for an attack run on the last AAA unit.

"Shadow 3, rifle!" she called out as she fired her Maverick. The missile hit its mark and with that, the threat to the transport planes was destroyed. "Jack-Knife to Sentinel, we have confirmation that all anti-aircraft units in the area have been destroyed." J-STARS reported.

"Roger, Jack-Knife; Shadow Team, good work, we can send in the transports now!" AWACS said. "Roger that!" Robert replied.

"Your mission now is to escort the transports to their landing zone." AWACS ordered. "AWACS, we're running low on fuel!" Cornelia reported after checking the fuel status display.

"Roger, Shadow 7! We're sending a tanker over now!" AWACS replied. "Roger that, we'll escort the transports after refueling!" Robert replied. The squadron continued on course to rendezvous with the tanker craft.

A few minutes later, the team formed up to refuel from a KC-10A Extender tanker jet. Shadow 1 was the first plane to refuel. Robert lined the plane up behind the tanker and extended the in-flight refueling probe.

He then carefully brought the F/A-18F closer and closer until the drogue was near the probe. With one last burst of speed, Robert managed to get the fueling probe into the drogue. "Contact!" Robert told the tanker crew, which began the refueling process. A split second later, Robert and Irma heard the distinct sound of fuel flowing into the fuel tanks.

Two minutes later, the fueling was done. "Shadow 1, refueling is complete; disconnect." The tanker crew ordered. With that, Robert briefly applied the airbrakes to slow down and disconnect from the drogue. A small mist of excess fuel came out as the refueling probe slipped out of the drogue.

Over the next twenty minutes, the other planes refueled from the tanker before it left the area, just as the transports were arriving. "Thanks for securing air superiority for us! We're heading for the front lines now!" one of the transport pilots said. The Shadow planes formed up next to the transports and they all flew on for a few minutes towards the front lines so that the transports can deploy their cargoes.

Suddenly, three missiles rocketed through the sky, hitting three of the transports, which burst into flames!

"WHAT WAS THAT?! WHERE DID THOSE MISSILES COME FROM?!" Cornelia exclaimed as the damaged transports exploded in mid-air!

"Warning, eight bandits are approaching the area! They're barely showing on radar, they must be stealth, be careful!" AWACS said. "Roger, we'll take care of them!" Robert replied as they went to engage the enemy.

Suddenly, all of the planes' RWRs began to go off as the bandits fired a barrage of missiles at the Super Hornets! "MISSILE LAUNCH, ALL UNITS EVADE!!" Robert ordered as the planes began evasive action.

After a minute, the missiles were evaded. Robert looked around and, to his horror, saw that one of the Shadow planes was on fire!

"Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is Shadow 2, we've been hit!" Kim said over the noise of warning alarms.

"SHADOW 2, EJECT!!!" Robert ordered. The others watched as Kim and Ron ejected safely seconds before their plane exploded. The remaining Shadow planes turned towards the source of the missiles.

As the pilots closed in, they almost went into shock when they discovered the identity of their attackers; they were dealing with a squadron of Su-47 Berkuts! The Shadows tried to lock on, but efforts for an AMRAAM lock failed, as the radars couldn't lock onto the Berkuts' small radar signatures.

The Shadows switched to their Sidewinders and continued to close in on the enemy.

As they got closer, the Berkuts fired another barrage of R-77 Adders!

"ALL PLANES, BREAK!" Robert ordered as the planes carried out evasive action.

Once again, the Shadow pilots managed to cheat death, but now they had to destroy the threat in front of them. Miraculously, Robert managed to get a lock-on with his Sidewinders.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired his missile. The missile almost missed, but it detonated next to the Su-47, which began trailing smoke. _They may be tough, but even they are not undefeatable!_ Robert thought as he engaged another Berkut. The damaged Su-47 went on for another minute before the pilot bailed out.

"Shadow 1, good kill!" AWACS said as Robert closed in. Meanwhile, Will managed to lock onto another Berkut.

"Shadow 3, fox two!" she called out as she fired her missile. The missile went up the enemy's left tailpipe and exploded, destroying the Berkut.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as she watched her handiwork. Brick was engaged in a hard turning fight with a pair of Su-47s. He uncaged his Sidewinders and locked on using his HMS.

"Shadow 8, fox two!" ha called out as he launched his Sidewinder. The missile clipped the Berkut's left wing, tearing it apart. The Su-47 spiraled out of control until it hit the ground.

"Shadow 8, splash one!" Brick called out as he confirmed his kill.

_Three down, five to go!_ Robert thought as he watched the Berkut that Brick hit go down.

Suddenly, Robert's RWR went off as a Berkut fired an R-73 Archer.

"WHOA!!" he said as he went into a split-S and released flares to dodge the missile.

"Shadow 8, fox two!" Brick called out as he fired at his other Berkut, which turned to evade. The missile struck the tail of the Su-47, which tumbled out of the sky.

"Shadow 8, splash one!" Brick called out as he tracked his kill. _That's half of them, now for the rest!_ Brick thought as he broke off to engage the remaining bandits.

"Shadow 1, we've got two on our tail, we need help!" Hay Lin said as she tried to shake off the two Berkuts that were on their tail.

"Hang on, we're on our way!" Robert said as he broke hard right to engage the Berkuts. Robert managed to get behind the enemy, which split off. Robert began to pursue the Berkut that broke right, while Hay Lin engaged the other one.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired. The Berkut released flares and dodged the missile."

"Damn, missile shot trashed!" Robert said as he fought to regain a firing position. Robert used his HMS to get a lock with the Berkut. "Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired another Sidewinder. The missile hit the fuselage just in front of the engines, causing the Su-47 to explode.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he engaged the next Berkut. Meanwhile, Hay Lin managed to get a lock on her target.

"Shadow 4, fox two!" she called out as she fired her missile. The missile hit the space between the tailpipes, and the plane went down in flames.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin called out as she watched the Berkut go down.

_Two to go, looks like we're winning this fight! _Will thought as she engaged one of the remaining Berkuts. She locked onto the Berkut that was in front of her plane.

"Shadow 3, fox two!" she called out as her Sidewinder shot away.

The missile detonated just behind the Su-47, which began to nosedive.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as she saw the Berkut crash.

Robert got behind the last remaining Berkut, which was getting behind Cornelia and Caleb's plane.

"Shadow 7, break right!" Robert ordered as he closed in. Caleb broke hard right as Robert managed to lock onto the Berkut.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired his last Sidewinder, which hit the Berkut's tail, causing the aircraft to go into a wild flat spin.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as the Berkut crashed.

"Airspace is sanitized, all bandits are destroyed. Mission accomplished, return to base." AWACS said as the Shadow planes formed up.

"Shadows, status check." AWACS ordered.

"We're good, but we've lost Shadow 2." Robert replied.

"Roger, rescue units are spooling up now." AWACS replied. The Shadows returned to the base and prepared for the rescue mission.

Part 4: Shadow Rescue

20 May, 2018

Kim and Ron had parachuted to the ground after being shot down during the Shadows' first encounter with Su-47 Berkuts.

"That sucked; we didn't even have a chance!" Ron said as he got out his handgun and looked around.

"I know, but at least we got out alive, and that's what matters." Kim replied. They could hear the sounds of the battle ending above them.

"Wow, the fight's over already!" Ron said as he checked his survival gear.

"Yeah, but we're not hanging around to see if any of them survived." Kim replied as they began the search for a suitable rally point. Meanwhile, the Shadows were being rearmed and refueled for the rescue mission.

"I hope they're OK." Tara said as she closed her canopy.

"They'll be all right, they've been through worse." Brick replied. The planes, now armed for the air-to-air mission, taxied to the runway. Six of the planes paired up, with Robert in front.

"Here we go." Robert said as the pilots shoved the throttles forward to apply full thrust. Once they reached takeoff speed, the pilots pulled back on their control sticks and began their climb.

Once airborne, the F/A-18Fs met up with the Pave Hawk.

"This is Echo 51; we're en-route to the LZ, over." the Pave Hawk pilot said.

"Shadow flight, we have contacts bearing 270 4 miles at Angels 10; Super Fulcrums, hostile." AWACS said.

"Roger, on our way." Robert said as he armed his weapons and closed in on the bandits.

"I've got tone…Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired an AIM-120D AMRAAM at the enemy MiG-35.

"Fox three!" Robert said as he fired another missile. After a minute, the missiles hit their targets.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert said as he continued the fight. The Pave Hawk was being escorted by a group of AH-64E Seabows, which would take care of threats on the ground, as it closed in on the extraction point.

Will locked onto another MiG. "Shadow 3, fox three!" she called out as she fired an AMRAAM. Hay Lin pulled next to her as she targeted another MiG. "Shadow 4, fox three!" she called out as she fired her missile.

Will's missile hit first, destroying the MiG-35.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" she called out as she watched the result. Hay Lin's missile detonated behind the MiG, but it did not cause enough damage. _Dammit, I thought that it hit!_ Hay Lin thought as she closed in and locked onto the MiG-35 with her Sidewinders.

"Shadow 4, fox two!" she called out as she fired her missile. The missile slammed into the fuselage, splitting the MiG in two.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin called out as she watched the fireball that was a MiG-35 Super Fulcrum dissipate.

Meanwhile, the Pave Hawk landed at the site where Kim and Ron were waiting.

"This is Echo 51, we've reached the extraction site; the pilots are headed for us now." the pilot said.

"Roger Echo 51; Shadow, continue escort until the helo reaches the base." AWACS ordered.

"Wilco." Robert said as he headed back to the helicopter's position.

"This is Echo 51, we have the crew on board and we're dusting off, over." the Pave Hawk pilot said as the chopper lifted off, with Kim and Ron on board.

"Shadow, we have new contacts, bearing 260, 10 miles, Angels 5." AWACS said.

"Roger, we won't let even one of them get near the helo." Robert said as the squadron engaged the Flankers.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will said as she fired an AMRAAM. Robert switched to his AIM-9X Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles as the squadron approached the enemy group. Robert uncaged the seeker heads as he heard the distinct growling tone in his headphones. Robert acted on instinct once the growling changed to a higher-pitched tone.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as the Sidewinder rolled off of the starboard wingtip. Robert then switched to his next target and locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he let off another missile. Just then, one of the Flankers fired an R-73 Archer missile!

"Shadow 1, missile, break!" Taranee called out as Robert jinked and released a burst of decoy flares. By the time that Robert dodged the Archer, the two missiles he fired hit their targets.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out before carrying out a Split-S to get behind the remaining Flanker.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired another Sidewinder, which flew to a lethal kill. "Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out.

"Shadow, clean sweep, no targets remaining." AWACS said. Just then, the Pave Hawk landed and the pilot called out:

"This is Echo 51, we're home safely, thanks for the air cover!"

"Mission accomplished!" AWACS said as the Shadows went back to the base. The planes landed in pairs and after ten minutes, the helicopters, including the Pave Hawk, landed on the flightline nearby. Tara rushed over and embraced Kim and Ron when they climbed out of the helicopter. "

I'm so glad you're OK!" she said as she broke the embrace.

"Yeah, you and the others are the reason why we're here again." Kim replied. The pilots went to the lounge to enjoy some well-deserved downtime before getting ready for their next leave.


	10. Fourth Leave

Chapter 9: Fourth Leave: Oregon Vacation(In Robert's POV)

10, June 2018

**Day 1**

Matt, Will, Cornelia, Caleb, Taranee, Nigel, Hay Lin, Eric, Elyon, Irma and I were at the airport awaiting a flight to Portland, Oregon. I decided to take this time to show Irma and the others the place where I grew up as a kid. We had already gone through security and checked in our luggage.

We planned to spend a week in Portland, to see everything that I used to do in my childhood days. The day before, I reserved eleven business class seats on an Amtrak Cascades train for a trip to Seattle that would take place five days later.

Finally, the announcement came: "United Airlines flight 522 to Portland is now boarding for all passengers at Gate B5, repeat, United Airlines flight 522 to Portland is now boarding for all passengers at Gate B5."

"Let's go, guys! Don't wanna miss this!" I said as we headed to the gate to board the 777. Most of us sat in row 18, while Hay Lin and Eric sat in seats 19A and 19B, behind me and Irma. The excitement mounted as the plane taxied to the runway.

A few minutes later, we were climbing into the sky, bound for Portland! Irma and I held hands as we gained altitude. A few minutes later, we were leveling off at 35,000 feet. The in-flight movie this time was "Transformers".

"I can't believe that I get to see the place where you were born! That's so cool!" Irma said a few minutes later.

"I always wanted to show you, and I thought that this would be a good time to do that!" I told her.

"I also can't believe that you let Will and the others come with us! That is so considerate of you!" she added as she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, I couldn't leave them out of the fun! That, and they've been so good to us, they deserve to come!" I replied.

Will and the three other girls blushed at that comment. "No wonder you guys are still going strong, you're as considerate of us as you are of Irma! That's so sweet!" Will said.

"That's not the only reason, but that is definitely a good one, Will!" Irma replied.

"I was happy to invite you guys. I thought that if Irma deserved to go, then you all did as well." I said as the plane passed through some light clouds. I looked out the window and enjoyed the view of the ground below.

"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Irma said as she took a look.

"Yeah, it is beautiful, like you are at this moment!" I said.

"Oh, come here, you charmer!" Irma said as she planted a passionate kiss on my lips. I returned the kiss as Irma wrapped her arms around my neck. The kiss lasted for at least five seconds.

Our stomachs jumped as we made our descent. "Wow, we're almost there!" Irma said as we made our approach.

"Yep, in a half-hour or so, you all will get to see the place where I lived as a kid!" I said as we touched down on the runway.

A few minutes later, we reached the gate and prepared to disembark. We got into the terminal at Gate E1 in Concourse E.

The wait at the baggage claim was not the longest wait we had, but it was long.

"How are we going to get to our hotel?" Cornelia asked a minute later. "I have an idea, we can take the MAX!" I said. "What's that?" Will asked.

"It's the city's light-rail transportation system. It has a line that goes to and from the airport." I told them.

"Great, where do we get to it?" Hay Lin asked. "The station's at the southern end of the airport entrance. That's not far from here." I said.

"Let's go!" Will said.

We went to the station and I bought everyone each a day pass. A few minutes later, the two-car train arrived.

"Let's get going!" Taranee said as we got on board. We took the train to the Gateway/NE 99th Ave. Transit Center, where we transferred to a Blue Line train.

From there, we took that train to the Lloyd Center/NE 11th Ave, station, where we got off. We then walked to our hotel, which was located in the downtown area, across the street from the station. I got us some rooms on the top floor so we can have a view to enjoy.

The arrangement was that each couple had their own room, but Elyon was alone, so she stayed with me and Irma. We decided to relax for a while.

"What should we do now?" Irma asked.

"I know, we can head to OMSI!" I said. "What's that?" Hay Lin asked.

"It stands for 'Oregon Museum of Science and Industry'. It's a place I used to go when I was younger. It's even got a Navy submarine that we can check out." I replied. "Sounds like fun! Let's go!" Irma said.

We took the MAX Blue Line train to the SW River Pkwy and Moody station and transferred to a bus that went to the nearest stop, which was on the other side of the Hawthorne Bridge. From there, we walked the rest of the way to OMSI.

Once we got to the museum, the first thing we did was check out the USS Blueback. Irma and I looked through the periscope as the others checked out the rest of the sub.

After touring the Blueback, we checked out the museum itself. The first thing I showed them was the Earth section.

"Wow, this is cool!" Will said as we looked around. I then showed them the earthquake simulator. We decided to go a couple of rounds on it.

"Wow, it feels funny!" Irma stuttered as the simulator shook. We then toured the Technology section. I showed them the consoles that demonstrated the many components used in modern electronics. After ten minutes, we proceeded to the health section. The first thing I showed the was the chick nursery.

"My sisters and I really liked this!" I said as we got close. We saw many baby chicks that were chirping away. "Awww, look at them! They're so cute!" Irma said as we looked. I took a picture of Irma with the chicks. We the looked around the rest of the museum. We then went back to our hotel.

**Day 2**

The next day, we decided to check out the Oregon Zoo. We boarded the MAX at the station by our hotel to get there.

A few minutes later, we went into a tunnel. "We're getting close, guys!" I said as it got dark.

"How do you know?" Will asked me.

"The station for the zoo is in this tunnel." I replied.

"So, this stop is like a subway station?" Hay Lin asked.

"In a way, yes." I said as we slowed down. After getting off the train, we took the elevator that took us to the zoo entrance. It was slightly foggy, but it was not bad. We first saw the marine animals.

"Wow, they're kinda cute!" Irma said as we saw the sea otters. Later, we saw the Amazon section.

"Wow, it's really humid in here!" Hay Lin said as we went inside.

"Yep, just like the Amazon!" I told her.

"Yikes, he's HUGE!" Irma said as we saw the alligator.

"Yep, he's a big one!" I said as we moved on. We then went to the Lorikeet Landing to see the birds.

"Wow, this is just like the one in San Diego!" Irma said.

"Yeah, that was fun!" I replied. Will had several birds land on her arms and one on her head. Cornelia and Hay Lin couldn't help but laugh, until one landed on Cornelia's head. When ten landed on me, Irma almost found herself rolling on the ground with laughter.

After a few minutes, we left the area and checked out the rest of the zoo.

After leaving the zoo, we rented two minivans to drive around the city for a few hours. I drove one van while Matt drove the other. Irma, Taranee, Nigel, Cornelia and Caleb rode in the van I was driving while Will, Hay Lin, Eric, and Elyon rode with Matt.

I then decided to show the others the different places where I used to live when I lived in the area.

First, I showed them the Fairview Woods apartment complex and pointed out the apartment where I used to live.

I then decided to show them the house in Aloha where I used to live until I moved to the Southwest.

"Wow, it must have been nice to live here." Will said.

"Yep, I could even see the MAX trains go by from my bedroom. (sigh) Those were the days." I said as we drove on. Next, I showed them the elementary schools that I went to.

After that, we spent all day driving around the city while I pointed out the places that I used to go to as a kid.

"I hope you all brought your cameras, because I have a surprise for you all tomorrow." I said as we drove back to the hotel.

"This should be good." Irma said. We arrived back at the hotel at around 8:00PM.

**Day 3**

The others were all excited as we drove off from the hotel the next day. I decided to surprise the others with a trip to the coastal town of Newport. We stopped at the nearest gas station to fill up our vans' gas tanks.

After an hour, we saw the museum that had the Spruce Goose. "Wow, is this the surprise you were talking about?" Cornelia asked as we drove up.

"It's part of it, actually." I said as we got out of the vans. We each got a picture of the Spruce Goose with our own cameras. After a half-hour, we drove off to our "mystery destination."

"Are we heading for the coast?" Taranee asked an hour later.

"What makes you say that, Taranee?" Irma asked her.

"I can smell the coastal air from here." Taranee replied.

"You guessed it! We're in Newport!" I said as we arrived in the coastal town. The first thing we did was check out the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

"Wow, I feel like we're under the ocean!" Irma said as we walked through the underwater viewing tunnels of the Passages of the Deep exhibit.

"That's the idea, Irma. It's supposed to be like that." Will said.

"They did a extremely good job with it!" Irma added. We spent a few hours at the aquarium before moving on to the air museum in Tillamook.

"Holy crap! What was this before it became a museum, some kind of hangar?" Caleb asked.

"Yep, it was a hangar for zeppelins back in World War One." I told him.

"Oh, I thought that it looked like a hangar for something." Caleb said as we went in. We took pictures of us in the cockpits before looking at the aircraft.

The first one we looked at was an F-14A Tomcat naval interceptor. The Hangar was so huge that our voices echoed throughout the building. We checked out the cockpits near the entrance to the hangar before leaving the museum.

Two hours later, I showed them the tide pools park, where Irma nearly had a run-in with a crab(she did not get pinched, fortunately.)

We later decided to go to the Sea Lion caves. We saw many sea lions from the viewing area. It was hard to talk to one another because the cave was filled with the deafening roar of the waves crashing against the rocks.

After an hour, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant before we walked around Newport's boardwalk.

After two hours, we decided to go to the marine life museum. "My sister had some memories with THIS guy!" I said as we approached the touch-tank with the Pacific octopus.

"What happened with your sister here?" Hay Lin asked.

"She was touching the octopus when it wrapped one of its tentacles around her arm! It was hilarious!" I told them while suppressing a chuckle. The girls instantly laughed at that statement. I then reached in and touched the octopus. The girls cringed at first, but in the end, they all touched the octopus.

"Whoa! Those are some long tentacles!" Cornelia said when we were looking at some jellyfish.

"What's in here?" Taranee asked when she looked in one tank, which had what looked like a bunch of particles in the water.

"Oh, I remember this! You have to look REAL closely!" I said. When we got a much closer look, we saw that the "particles" were actually extremely tiny jellyfish!

"Aww, they're so very tiny, they're kinda cute." Irma said as we looked on. Three hours later, we drove back to the hotel. "That was a nice surprise, baby." Irma said as we got in bed.

"I knew you'd enjoy it!" I said. We flew into bed and slept the night away.

**Day 4**

The next day, we decided to have some more fun at the coast. We brought our beach towels and drove out to the coastline again. When we got there, we found a spot to park near the beach. Cornelia, Irma and I decided to take a walk along the beach, talking and holding hands while enjoying the sights. A few minutes later, we saw the faint glow of a lighthouse's beacon light. I looked at the ocean through my binoculars and saw a container ship in the distance.

"Hey, girls, check this out!" I said as handed the binoculars to Irma.

"What is it?" Irma asked as she looked through them.

"There's a container ship out there!" I said as I pointed it out to her.

"I see it! Wow, it looks pretty big!" Irma said a minute later.

"Hey, Corny! Check this out!" she said as she handed the binoculars to Cornelia.

"Do you see it?" Irma asked as Cornelia looked through the binoculars.

"Yeah, I see it! It's huge!" Cornelia said as she looked.

A few minutes later, we continued our walk along the beach. After an hour, we headed back to our vans and drove back to the hotel to relax. After a few hours, Will, Matt, Irma and I got into our van and went back to the beach. We walked around for an hour. When the sun began to go down, we put down a couple of beach towels and laid down. Will and Matt held hands and put an arm around each other, as did Irma and I, while we watched the sunset.

"This is so romantic, you and me watching the sunset on a beach together, it's just...perfect." Irma said as we relaxed and watched the sunset over the water. After the sun went down, we got our towels, got into our van and drove back to the hotel. When we arrived, Hay Lin asked, "Where were you guys?"

"We went out to watch the sunset on the beach." Irma replied.

"Awww, that's so romantic!" Hay Lin said. We went to bed early that night, for we had a big day of action tomorrow.

**Day 5**

Today, we decided to got to Washington Square Mall in Aloha, near Portland.

"Wow, this mall is as big as the one in Heatherfield!" Will said as we walked in. I later decided to surprise Irma with a gift from the jewelry store. Irma was walking with Will as I walked out of the store with a small plastic bag. In that bag was a small, black box. In that box was a golden heart-shaped pendant with aquamarine stones.

"Oh, Irrrrmaaa! I have a surprise for you!" I called as I hid the box in my hands behind my back.

"What is it?" Irma asked as she walked over.

"Close your eyes, and hold out your hands." I told her. Irma closed her eyes and giggled as she held out her hands. I opened the box, took the pendant out and put in her hands.

"OK, you can look now!" I said with a smile. Irma opened her eyes and gasped when she saw the blue-stoned pendant in her hands.

"Oh, my...Robert! It's...it's beautiful!!!" she said as she blushed and put the pendant around her neck.

"I thought I'd like to give you something special from this trip and I knew that blue was your favorite color, and that aquamarine was your birthstone, so I thought that you would like it." I said.

"Oh, come here, you!" Irma said as she wrapped her arms around me and planted a thankful kiss. After that romantic moment, we left the mall.

"I take it Robert got that for you?" Cornelia asked Irma, referring to the pendant.

"Yeah, he did, he is such a sweetheart!" Irma told Cornelia. It took us nearly three hours to explore the entire mall.

I decided to take us to the Malibu Grand Prix go-cart track for some fun. We lined up to get our tickets and our licenses. I decided to challenge Irma to a friendly four-lap race.

"Hey, Irma!" I called to her.

"Yes, my love?" Irma asked.

"You and me, four laps, 1-on-1!" I said.

"Sounds like fun! you're on!" Irma said as we got to the track. After that, we each got into a go-cart and strapped in. When we got the signal, Irma and I lined up next to each other.

"Ready for some fun, Irma?" I said as we lined up.

"Oh, yeah, I'm ready 'cause I'm feelin' the need, the need for speed!" Irma said as the light turned yellow. When it turned green, Irma and I floored our accelerators and sped off on the track. I had the lead for most of the first lap, but Irma came in front after a spectacular drift turn!

"Whoa! Irma's got skills!" Will said as she watched the action.

"Damn! You're good!" I said as I made a similar turn at the first curve in the second lap. It took a bit, but I got in front of Irma near the line for the third lap. I waved "hello" as I passed, and Irma giggled as she waved back and blew a kiss at me. The rest of the lap got close, but I maintained the lead when we started the fourth lap. The race was close, but I still had the lead when we neared the finish line. Irma caught up and won by an inch.

"Wow, I will say it, you've got the moves!" I said as we got out of the cars. We later watched as the others did some driving for a few laps. I checked my watch, which read, "4:00PM". After we left the track, we drove back to the hotel, went to our rooms, slipped into bed and slept happily.

**Day 6**

We woke up early so we can check out of the hotel. We went to the Amtrak station to go to Seattle to see the Space Needle. I picked up our two-way business class tickets for Amtrak Cascades train #500, which was already at the platform. We boarded the train, and sat near each other in the observation car, which was the fourth car from the locomotives. Irma and I had window seats in the car.

"Wow, this view is awesome!" Irma said as we got underway at 8:30AM. I got out my camera to take a picture. I laughed as Irma made a funny face when I took the picture.

Four and a half hours later, the train pulled into the station, and we got off. We took a bus to the Space Needle.

"Wow, that thing is TALL!" Will said as we went in.

"Yep, just like the Stratosphere tower in Vegas!" I told her.

"You've been there?" Cornelia asked.

"Yeah, fourteen years ago, I went to Vegas for my sister's birthday." I said. "How old was she?" Hay Lin asked.

"Twelve, we drove because we were relatively close. It was fun." I said.

"The cool thing is, we went into the tower during a lightning storm, so we had quite a view of the lightning!" I added as we went into the elevator. We got to the top and we immediately got out our cameras to take pictures of the view.

"Wow! We're really high!" Irma said as we looked out the window at the city below. "Yeah, and it's always better with you here to enjoy it." I said.

"Aw, you charmer." Irma said as she planted a brief kiss in my lips. After a few hours, at 5:00PM, we went back to the station to catch the train back, which left a half-hour later. Four and a half hours later, we were back in Portland.

We returned the vans to the rental agency and I got everyone each a one-way ticket for the MAX Red Line train to the airport. As we waited, we talked about our experience over the last week.

"I had a lot of fun this week; You had one hell of a childhood here." Will said. "Yeah, I did. I thought that you guys deserved to see the places I went back then." I said. Everyone thanked me for the fun experience over the last week.

"I was happy to bring you all. You guys deserved it." Just then, the Red Line train arrived at the platform. We got on board and talked throughout the ride to the airport.

When we arrived at the main terminal, I got the boarding passes and took care of the luggage.

We waited for an hour before we got the announcement: "Alaska Airlines flight 382 to Heatherfield is now boarding for all passengers at Gate C6, repeat, Alaska Airlines flight 382 to Heatherfield is now boarding for all passengers at Gate C6."

"Let's go!" Irma said as we went to the gate to board the plane.

Cornelia, Caleb, Irma and I sat in first class, while Taranee, Nigel, Will, Matt, Hay Lin, Eric and Elyon sat in coach. The flight lasted about four hours.

"We're home!" Irma said as we landed.

"Yeah, home, sweet home!" Will said as the plane slowed down.

The plane taxied to the terminal and we got off when the jetway was attached to the front exit.

We went to the baggage claim for our luggage before heading off to my house to relax.

"That was fun, we never knew that your childhood was so much fun until the past week." Irma said as we got inside.

"Yeah, it was…now what do you want to do?" I asked.

"How about we watch a movie and relax before we ship out tomorrow?" Irma suggested. I got up and picked out a good, relaxing movie from the movie shelf.

I put it in the DVD player and sat next to Irma as she wrapped her left arm around me. I got the movie going and we relaxed.

After the movie was over, we decided to do some target practice in my basement. I let Irma use my AK-47 while I used my AR-15. We then switched to my Glock 17 9mm pistol and my Desert Eagle .357 magnum.

After the shoot-off, we went to my bedroom to relax. As we slept that night, we knew that the next day, we were going to be deployed in North Korea again.


	11. Fourth Deployment

Chapter 10: Final Deployment in the North Korean War

Part 1: Devastation

18, June 2018

Location: Central North Korea

The Shadow pilots were deployed at the Forward Operations Base (FOB) for this deployment.

Their first mission was to intercept a group of TU-160 Blackjack and TU-95 Bear bombers that were carrying nuclear weapons. These bombers were possibly intending to attack American cities, such as San Diego and even Heatherfield!

The F/A-18Fs took off and rushed to intercept them.

"Tally Ho, first bomber group!" Robert said as he armed his plane's weapons. The team went into combat spread formation to give the bombers no room to evade their attacks.

"All units engage at your own discretion!" Robert said as he got ready to fire an AIM-120D AMRAAM missile.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" he called out as the missile streaked away at one of the bombers.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as she fired her missile.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as she fired her missile.

"Shadow 4, fox three!" Hay Lin called out as she fired her missile.

"Shadow 5, fox three!" Crystal called out as she fired an AMRAAM.

"Shadow 6, fox three!" Liz called out as she fired an AMRAAM.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" Caleb called out as he fired his missile.

"Shadow 8, fox three!" Brick called out as he fired an AMRAAM. All eight missiles hit their targets, which burst into flames.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as she watched her missile hit.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as she watched the impact of her missile.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin called out as she watched the bomber that she hit go down.

"Shadow 5, splash one!" Crystal called out as she watched the bomber go down in flames.

"Shadow 6, splash one!" Liz called out as she confirmed her kill.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he watched the stricken bomber explode.

"Shadow 8, splash one!" Brick called out as he confirmed his kill.

Eventually, the team got closer to the remaining bombers. Robert noticed that there were many escort fighters. Robert and Kim split off to distract the enemy fighters while the rest engaged the remaining bombers.

Robert switched to his AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles as the he approached the enemy fighters. Robert uncaged the seeker heads as he heard the distinct growling tone in his headphones.

Robert acted on instinct once the growling changed to a higher-pitched tone.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as the Sidewinder rolled off of the starboard wingtip. Robert then switched to his next target and locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he let off another Sidewinder.

Just then, one of the Super Flankers fired an R-73 Archer missile! "Shadow 1, missile, break!" Taranee called out as Robert jinked and released a burst of decoy flares.

By the time that Robert dodged the Archer, the two missiles he fired hit their targets.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out before carrying out a Split-S to get behind the remaining Super Flanker.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired another Sidewinder, which flew to a lethal kill.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out.

Meanwhile, the others were targeting the remaining bombers, "Shadow 3, fox two!" Will called out as she fired a Sidewinder at a Tu-160 bomber.

The missile struck the fuselage, splitting it in two. "Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as she confirmed her kill. Hay Lin lined up behind another Tu-160 for a gun kill. She fired a second-long burst, which set the bomber on fire.

"Shadow 4, splash two!" she called out as she confirmed her kill. Robert turned around and locked onto a Tu-160 bomber.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" he called out as he fired the missile.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" Caleb called out as he fired an AMRAAM.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as she fired.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off towards its target.

A minute later, the missiles hit the bombers, destroying them. "Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb said as his missile took his target out.

"All enemy bombers have been shot down, nice job!" AWACS said.

Suddenly, a bright flash appeared from the west, behind the squadron, that lasted for two seconds. "What was that?" Irma asked.

"I may have an idea what it is, but I'm hoping that I'm wrong!" Ron said as they flew on.

Just then, a missile-like object came from out of nowhere, falling toward the ground.

Seconds later, another, much brighter flash appeared accompanied by a loud roar that echoed throughout the area. The pilots covered their eyes just before the flash as a precaution, which turned out to be a life-saving move.

The pilots uncovered their eyes ten seconds later and were horrified by what they saw: a mushroom cloud was billowing to the west of their position!

This meant only one thing: the enemy has detonated at least two nuclear weapons in the area!! "How...how could have this have happened?!" Will asked as they saw the nuclear mushroom grow.

Suddenly, their planes shook as the shock wave hit them. "Dammit! The HUD's busted!" Robert said as he saw that his plane's HUD was not working.

"We have confirmed that two nuclear weapons have been set off in this area! All units return to base!" AWACS ordered.

The planes returned to the base, where tests indicated that they were not contaminated by the radioactive fallout from the blasts, which were caused by ballistic missiles launched by an enemy submarine.

Part 2: Revenge

21, June 2018

Location: Yellow Sea(western shore)

There were two enemy missile submarines in the area, including the one that launched yesterday's nuclear attack.

The Shadow team was sent to take them out while they were surfaced to take on supplies from a pair of supply ships. They took off from the base and flew towards the ships' location.

They flew in low in order to avoid detection by radar. "I have lock-on!" Robert said as his weapons systems locked on to one of the subs.

"Shadow 1, firing!" he called out as he fired one of his six Harpoon anti-ship missiles at the enemy ship. The missile hit its mark, causing significant damage.

Robert then turned around, dodging anti-aircraft gunfire as he locked onto the other sub. "Shadow 1, firing!" Robert called out as he fired another missile at the enemy submarine.

The missile hit, causing major damage and crippling the enemy submarine. The enemy submarines eventually began to sink after being rocked by secondary explosions.

The other planes circled around and locked onto the supply ships. "Shadow 7, firing!" Caleb called out as he fired a Harpoon at a supply ship.

The ship was obliterated the instant the missile hit. "Shadow 3, firing!" Will called out as she fired her missile. The missile hit the ship, penetrating the decks before detonating deep inside.

After confirming the kills, the team got bad news from AWACS: Another submarine has launched four nuclear missiles right at their location!

The ABL plane Protector was dispatched to the scene to intercept the missiles, but the Shadow team was ordered to evacuate to the west as a precaution.

Meanwhile, Protector fired its laser at the group of four missiles, destroying three of them in one burst. "We've destroyed three of the missiles, but the fourth one is getting close!" Protector's pilot reported.

"Hurry up and take that missile out! We can't risk losing any of the Shadow pilots here!" AWACS ordered. After a thirty-second recharge, Protector was able to fire the laser again.

"Countdown to firing: five...four...three...two...one...FIRING!" Protector's weapons systems operator said as the laser fired again, hitting the fourth missile, which spiraled out of control until it exploded in mid-air.

"All missiles have been destroyed! We did it!" Protector's pilot said as it left the airspace.

"Good work, Protector! Mission accomplished! All aircraft return to base!" AWACS ordered. The Shadow team returned to the FOB.

Intel reports indicate that the enemy is weakening, due to continued destruction of key military elements such as airfields and docking basins.

The enemy may finally surrender within the next few months. As of the night of the 21st, the entire ballistic missile submarine fleet is no longer able to pose a threat to allied forces.

The North Korean Air Force is especially weak, with a grand total of only 60 aircraft! The North Korean Navy has no more warships and the North Korean Army has only 5 battalions of armored vehicles and only 300 troops, and all vehicle/weapon factories have been destroyed!

This war is as good as over, and the odds are in America's favor!

It has been confirmed that the North Korean government was not responsible for starting the war, but the North Korean military's highest ranking officers are, and their actions up to now and any future actions will be condemned by both the North Korean and American governments.

The U.S. president has promised to provide relief in any way to North Korea's citizens once the war is over.

Part 3: Valley Blitz

19 August, 2018

Location: valleys 30 miles northwest of Kuwol-san

American ground forces are making a final push towards the North Korean capital. Today, they will capture an enemy airfield in the southern part of the valley, while B-1B and B-52 bombers destroy the enemy's field headquarters in the central part of the valley.

The Shadow team was ordered to provide air support for the mission.

The team will split into two groups: Group Alpha(Shadow 1, 2, 3 and 4) will support the airfield capture team while Group Bravo(Shadow 5, 6, 7 and 8) will help Air force fighters escort the bombers.

This mission will be known as "Operation Valley Blitz". The Katana tank team was part of the ground forces involved in this operation.

The F-18's took off and flew to their designated areas. "Katana, we have multiple enemy tanks approaching your position, use caution!" J-STARS ordered.

"Roger that, we'll be careful!" Katana 1's commander replied. "Multiple tanks confirmed, you're cleared to engage, Alpha Group!" J-STARS said.

"Roger, engaging enemy tanks!" Robert replied as the four F-18's then began engaging the group of five enemy T-72 tanks.

"I've got tone!" Robert said as he targeted an enemy T-72 tank. "Shadow 1, rifle!" he called out as he fired an AGM-65F Maverick air-to-surface missile. The missile blew the tank to pieces.

Crystal locked onto another enemy tank. "Shadow 5, rifle!" she called out as she fired. The tank was destroyed, but there were still others. Shadow 3 and Shadow 6 targeted the last three T-72 tanks.

"Shadow 3, rifle!" Will said as she fired two Mavericks at a pair of tanks. The tanks were eliminated, as was the one that Shadow 6 targeted.

Suddenly, Robert's radar-warning-receiver went off, indicating that he was being tracked. Robert checked the radar, but found nothing.

He checked the RWR, which indicated that it was an SA-7 Grail, which was a shoulder-launched weapon. "All Shadows, mud 7 my three o'clock!" Robert said to his wingmen.

Suddenly, the missile launch warning sounded, indicating that Robert now had a missile headed for his aircraft. Crystal saw the missile come up.

"Shadow 1, SAM launch, 4 o'clock, break right!" she called out to him. "Shadow 1 tallies Shadow 5." Robert said as he broke hard into the missile while releasing decoy flares.

The missile lost its track on Robert's plane. "Shadow 1, missile evaded." Robert called out as he continued the fight.

After a few minutes, the teams reached the airfield. The Shadow planes took pre-emptive action against the airfield's defenses while the allied tanks moved in for the capture.

A group of six Su-35 Super Flanker jets took off from the airfield's runway and the battle was on!

Robert splashed three of them and destroyed a seventh plane on the runway, blocking it.

Suddenly, Robert received an urgent message from Shadow 4! "Shadow 1, they're on our six! We need help!" Taranee said as Hay Lin tried to shake them off.

Robert looked around and saw that the three remaining Flankers were on Shadow 4's tail!

"Hang on! We're on our way!" Robert told Taranee as he turned to engage the bandits. Robert closed in at full speed and switched to his Sidewinders.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired his missile. The missile went up the left tailpipe of the Super Flanker.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert said as he tracked his kill. "Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired another missile at the other bandit.

Robert then switched to his aircraft's M61 cannon and lined up to fire.

Suddenly, one of the enemy planes fired an R-73 Archer heat-seeking missile at Shadow 4, just as Robert was taking the shot at the Super Flanker!

"SHADOW 4! MISSILE, BREAK RIGHT!" Irma yelled as she saw the missile launch. Robert fired a burst at the Super Flanker and hit it, but it was too late.

"Shadow 1, splash two!" Robert called out as he watched the Super Flanker go down.

The missile struck Shadow 4's engine tailpipes and exploded, causing the damaged plane to nose-dive towards the earth!

"HURRICANE, FIREBALL, PUNCH OUT!!!!" Robert yelled as he saw the plane going down.

Both he and Irma breathed a sigh of relief as they saw Hay Lin and Taranee eject safely from their doomed plane.

Shadow 3 then flew by and saw the parachutes deploy as they normally would. "Shadow 4 is down, I say again, Shadow 4 is down!" Will said as she saw the burning plane hit the ground.

"Roger, Shadow 3, CSAR helo is en-route now!" AWACS reported.

"Jack-knife, Katana 1, we've successfully captured the airfield!" Katana 1's tank commander said.

"Roger, Katana 1, be advised, friendly pilots have gone down and CSAR helicopter is en-route for extraction." J-STARS replied.

"Roger, we'll be ready to help them out." The tank commander replied.

Meanwhile, the bombers have succeeded in destroying the enemy's field HQ, and are returning to base. Bravo Group, their mission completed, joined up with Alpha Group, and the mission overall was considered a success after Taranee and Hay Lin were rescued.

The airfield became the Shadow squad's new base of operations, and was where they landed after the mission. Taranee and Hay Lin were brought to the infirmary due to minor injuries that they sustained when they punched out.

They spent the night there and were told that they will fly again starting the next day. They also received Purple Heart medals for their injuries.

Part 4: Final Recon Mission

22 August, 2018

Location: Western North Korea

Intel has confirmed the location of the enemy's final stronghold. It is the location where the ones responsible for the war are located, and its destruction literally will end the war.

One of the Shadow team's pilots has been given the task of flying a reconnaissance mission over the facility to obtain pictures of the base's defense network.

Because most of the defenses are anti-air, only one aircraft will be going on this mission. The mission was to take place at night for stealth reasons.

"Well, this is it." Caleb said to Cornelia as they got into their flight suits.

"I know! After we blow that base, the war's over!" Cornelia replied as she adjusted her G-suit.

After suiting up, the two went up to the flightline where their aircraft was already prepped and ready to go.

They got on board, started the engines, and taxied to the runway. "Here we go!" Caleb said as he lit the F-18's afterburners, sending the aircraft roaring down the runway.

After fifteen seconds, they were airborne. Shadow 7 began following the pre-programmed course to the recon target. "Fly below 400 feet to avoid the radar and photograph the target.

Once you complete your run, head back to base for your debriefing. This ends all radio communications for now, begin radio silence, that is all!" AWACS ordered.

"Wilco!" Caleb said as he descended to 350 feet and he and Cornelia turned off the radio to begin the radio silence.

Seconds seemed like hours as the two brave pilots got closer to the stronghold.

Upon reaching the last waypoint before the target, Cornelia activated the plane's IDEM digital recon camera.

Caleb went into full afterburner as they began their run. "Camera's rolling...now!" Cornelia said as she pressed the record button.

The images of the base then began to show up on her central display screen. "We are rolling digital!" Cornelia said as they flew over the base.

"Smile, guys! You are on TV!" Caleb joked as they ended their photo run.

Cornelia shut off the camera, and they headed on their way to the base. Caleb and Cornelia then turned their radios back on as instructed.

"Cancel radio silence, you did well out there!" AWACS said after the run was completed.

"Roger that, we're coming home!" Caleb said as they left the mission area.

A few minutes later, they heard a noise that they wished they would never hear: the low fuel alert!

"DAMMIT!" Caleb said as he shut off the burners and made his way to the approach corridor.

"How could this be!? We weren't flying THAT long!" Cornelia said as the alert continued to sound.

"We must have had a fuel leak!" Caleb replied as they flew on.

A few minutes later, Caleb lined the plane up for the approach, lowered the plane's landing gear and flaps.

Suddenly, the engines flamed out, indicating that Shadow 7 was out of fuel! "Mayday, mayday, mayday, Shadow 7 to Tower, I've lost both engines due to fuel starvation!"

"Roger, Shadow 7, we're deploying the emergency wires now!" the ATC responded.

Caleb lowered the tail hook, but it was too late; the plane was slightly too low and was losing speed and lift!

"ALL CREWS BE ADVISED, WE HAVE AN AIRCRAFT COMING IN DEAD-STICK!" came the announcement over the base's PA.

"Brace yourself; it's out of my hands!" Caleb said as the plane came closer to the ground.

"SHADOW 7, EJECT!" the ATC said as the plane got past the ILS marker.

Just then, the plane hit the runway hard, catching fire and skidding down the tarmac as the landing gear collapsed.

The burning plane slowly came to a stop, and the fire crews were sent out. "EARTHQUAKE, EJECT, EJECT, EJECT!" Caleb yelled as Cornelia pulled her ejection handle.

The flightline lit up as the canopy blew and Irma's ejection seat shot her out of the fiery wreck.

Caleb ejected a split second later and both seats landed on the ground near the runway, allowing the undamaged recon photo hard drives to be salvaged.

Caleb and Cornelia each received a Purple Heart medal because they were slightly injured in the crash. The recon mission was still considered a success because the pictures they took still made it into the hands of the intel lab personnel.

An investigation revealed that Shadow 7 did have a fuel leak that was caused by a broken fuel line. Caleb and Cornelia received a spare plane to use in the next mission, which will be the war's last.

Part 5: The Final Battle

26 August, 2018

Location: Western North Korea, near Pyongyang

The final mission is on, and the Shadow squadron is leading the fight! The Eagle and Tophatter squadrons will also be in this mission.

The enemy anti-air defenses have already been destroyed by E/A-18G Growler defense suppression aircraft.

The Shadow team will destroy the facility itself while the other two teams provide air cover. "This is it, our final mission!" Robert said to Irma as the pilots walked to their planes.

Robert started the plane's engines and taxied to the runway. He then lowered the flaps to takeoff position.

"Shadow 1, cleared for takeoff!" the ATC said. "Here we go!" Robert said as he throttled up to full afterburner.

Twenty seconds later, Robert and Irma's plane began to climb into the sky.

After ten minutes, all fourteen F/A-18s were airborne and en-route to the mission zone.

As they got close, the pilots armed their planes' weapons and they went into combat spread formation.

The Tophatters and Eagle squads split off and climbed to 20,000 feet, while the Shadow team descended to 10,000 feet and prepared to attack.

"This is it, all planes, split and engage!" Robert ordered as the Shadow planes split off to carry out their attacks.

"Shadow 1, two away!" Robert said as he dropped a pair of bombs on a pair of barracks buildings, kicking off the attack.

"Shadow 3, one away!" Will said as she dropped a cluster bomb on the base's fuel bunkers. The bunkers exploded in a huge fireball.

Hay Lin lined up on the last plane that was on the base's small airstrip runway.

"Shadow 4, one away!" she said as she dropped her bomb. The bomb hit the Super Flanker just as it was applying full power, blocking the runway. Liz lined up on the base's vehicle hangars.

"Shadow 6, one away!" she called out as she dropped a bomb on one of the hangars. Robert lined himself up on a line of Mi-24 Hinds on the flightline. Robert began to level off before strafing the Hinds.

Robert then leveled off and headed out to prepare for his next attack.

"Shadow 8, one away!" Brick called out as he dropped a bomb on another hangar.

"Shadow 5, one away!" Crystal called out as she dropped a laser-guided bomb on the base's control tower.

"Shadow 2, one away!" Kim called out as she dropped a bomb on yet another ammo dump.

"Shadow 7, one away!" Caleb called out as he dropped a bomb on a barracks building. Robert lined up for the attack on the last remaining facility.

"Shadow 1, one away!" he called out as he ended it by dropping his last bomb on the command center.

The F/A-18s then went back into formation. "All facilities have been destroyed, we did it!" J-STARS said.

All of the pilots cheered loudly for a minute before beginning their return to the base.

"Well, that's it! The war's finally over!" Irma said as they left the area.

"Yep, now we can go home!" Robert replied.

"Shadow Flight, I just wanted to say that you have proven yourselves as true war heroes and excellent pilots! You have managed to bring this war to an end and brought peace back to North Korea. We knew that you could do it!" AWACS said.

With that, the Shadow planes landed at the base.

After landing, Robert and Irma received a warm welcome on the flightline when they opened the canopy.

After a brief celebration, the Shadows were transferred back to the USS Gerald R. Ford.

The pilots all continued their celebration in the pilots' lounge as the Gerald R. Ford's fleet began to make its way home to Heatherfield.

Robert and Irma began planning a major celebration that would take place at Irma's house on her 25th birthday.

Little did Irma know that Robert has a major birthday surprise in mind that will change Irma's life forever.


	12. Fifth Leave

Chapter 11: Fifth Leave

Part 1: Birthday Surprise

13 March, 2019

Location: Heatherfield (Irma's house)

The Shadow squad pilots had gathered at Irma's house for a huge party. This party had two purposes: to celebrate the end of the war, and to celebrate Irma's twenty-sixth birthday. The party got started at around 11:00AM with a swim in Irma's swimming pool.

The guests all changed into their swimsuits and jumped into the pool. Irma was in her blue suit and got a bit intimate with Robert in the pool. After three hours, everyone got out of the pool and dried themselves off.

They then went to the basement's shooting range. That was when Robert noticed that Irma had a new "toy": an AK-74! She proceeded to load the gun with a 30-round magazine. The others watched wide-eyed as Irma fired a short burst!

"Who wants to try out this bad boy?" Irma said after another burst. After that, everyone each fired three bursts of the AK-74. After that, everyone then grabbed the other guns, loaded them and fired away at the targets.

After that, the partygoers went to the dance floor and the party really got going. After two hours, everyone went upstairs for the birthday celebration. After everything was done, Robert had the opportunity that he was looking for and took it.

"Hey, Irma! There's something I gotta tell you! It's important!" he said as he got something out of his pocket.

"What is it, my love?" Irma asked. Robert then kneeled down in front of her and held her hand.

_Oh, my god! Robert's gonna propose! I've been waiting for this moment! _Irma thought, her heart racing.

"Irma Denise Lair, in front of all your friends, I have one thing to ask you: Will you marry me?" Robert asked as he held up and opened a small box, which contained a silver ring with aquamarines on it. Irma was speechless, her eyes grew wide as she thought about how to respond, but it didn't take long to decide.

"Oh, Robert! Of course I will! I've been waiting all year for this!" Irma said as Robert slipped the ring on her finger. All of the others saw this and cheered, knowing that Irma will be happy for the rest of her life.

"Happy birthday, dear!" Robert said as Irma, tears of joy flowing from her eyes, embraced him and planted a thankful kiss on his lips.

"When will the wedding take place?" Will asked.

"I was thinking...exactly a year from now!" Robert replied after he and Irma broke the kiss. "Sounds good to me!" Irma replied.

Cornelia then called Elyon on her cell phone to tell her the news.

"Elyon, it's me! You are NOT gonna believe this!" Cornelia said after Elyon picked up.

"What is it?" Elyon said on the other end.

"Robert and Irma are gonna get married! They just got engaged a minute ago!" Cornelia said, excitement filling her voice.

"WOW! Really?! That's so awesome! When's the wedding?" Elyon exclaimed.

"It's a year from now! They're already beginning to plan it!" Cornelia replied. This birthday was truly special for Irma, thanks to Robert's proposal.

Part 2: Vacation in Phoenix (In Robert's POV)

14, March 2019

**Day 1**

We decided to take a five-day-long trip to Phoenix, Arizona. We decided to drive the whole way. Caleb brought his Dodge minivan, while I drove my Chevy Cobalt. Cornelia, Hay Lin, Eric, Elyon, Taranee and Nigel rode with Caleb, while Irma, Will, and Matt rode with me. We kept in touch with those in the other vehicle via our cell phones.

Six hours later, we were nearing the California/Arizona border. Irma's cell phone began to ring as we went past the Imperial Sand Dunes recreational area. "Hello?" Irma said as she answered. "Hey, do you think we can stop soon?" Cornelia asked on the other end.

"Why do we need to stop?" Irma asked. "Our van needs gas; we're, like, at a quarter of a tank." Cornelia replied.

"OK, we can stop somewhere here for a break. Besides, Robert's car needs gas, too." Irma replied. "Yeah, that will work; we'll get off at this next exit." Cornelia said.

"OK, I'll tell him, bye!" Irma said as she hung up her phone. "We need to stop for gas. Where's the nearest station?" she then asked me.

"OK, I think the nearest gas station is at...well, it looks like we're stopping in Yuma!" I told her. "Wait a minute! Didn't you say you used to live here?" Matt asked.

"Yep, I did! In fact, this is where I lived before I moved to Middleton!" I said as we pulled up on the 16th Street exit. We stopped at the Chevron gas station by the on-ramp. The others got out to stretch their legs as Caleb and I filled up our vehicles' gas tanks. "Where was your old house, Robert?" Irma asked.

"It's a bit southeast of here. If you want, we can drive by quickly, before we get back on the road." I replied.

"Sounds cool!" Will said. We finished putting the gas in and got back into our vehicles. I drove in front of Caleb as I led us to the house I used to live. We stopped briefly in front of the house and I pointed it out. After that, we got back on I-8 Eastbound to continue on to Phoenix. We stopped for lunch at Gila Bend. Thirty minutes later, we continued driving. Three hours later, we arrived in Phoenix. We checked into a Marriott hotel and got five rooms on the top floor. Elyon stayed with Irma and me. We decided to rest for the day (We did quite a bit of driving today).

**Day 2**

Today, we decided to head out to Scottsdale to see the sights. We first decided to check out the Fashion Square mall.

"Wow! I've never been to a three-story mall before!" Irma said as we walked in.

"Well, this is your lucky day!" I said as we walked around. We decided to see a movie in the mall's Harkins Theater. Two hours later, we went to the second story of the mall.

After an hour, we had lunch in the food court. We then proceeded to explore the third floor. After another hour, we left the mall. We then drove back to our hotel. Irma called Cornelia over two hours later to hang out with us. By the time Cornelia arrived, I had already set up our video game console and had three controllers hooked up.

"Wanna play?" Irma asked as Cornelia closed the door. "Sure, sounds like fun!" Cornelia happily replied as she picked up a controller. I turned on the game system as the girls sat down and got comfortable. We played five rounds of a racing game and Cornelia ended up winning three of the rounds. We then switched to a certain military shoot-em-up game, in which we played through the campaign in co-op mode.

After all the gaming action, we decided to watch some movies. Irma got to choose first, selecting a good comedy. By the time the movie was over, we nearly passed out from laughing so much! Cornelia then picked out a good horror movie. By the time that movie was over, Irma and Cornelia were clinging to each other, scared out of their minds.

I then chose a disaster movie, by which time it was getting dark and Elyon had just come back from enjoying a day out in town.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" she asked as she closed the door. "Great, we just put in a movie, wanna watch it with us?" Cornelia asked.

"Sure, looks like a good one!" Elyon happily replied as she sat down next to Cornelia. By the time the movie ended, we were hardcore tired, and Elyon was already asleep.

"Let's call it a day, we've gotta head home tomorrow." I said as we got into bed. "Yeah, good night, guys." Cornelia said as she fell asleep.

"Good night, Robert, I love you." Irma said as she began falling asleep. "Good night, I love you, too." I replied as I gave her a good-night kiss and fell asleep.

**Final Day**

We checked out of the hotel in the morning so we can be back in Heatherfield by noon. "Well, looks like we have another long drive ahead of us." I said as we got onto the freeway.

"Yeah, but the sooner we get on the road, the sooner we get home." Cornelia replied. We stopped for a break in Yuma before continuing on our way home.

"It was nice of you to bring us here, we had fun!" Will said as we left Yuma.

"Yeah, It was awesome to see where you lived more recently before you moved to Middleton!" Cornelia said in agreement. After a half-hour, the girls were bored, so I turned on the radio, and in no time, the girls were singing their hearts out.

I simply smiled and drove on as they sang in a rather beautiful manner. After a few hours, we reached San Diego. Along the way, we saw the Swift Intruders LCAC base, as well as Camp Pendleton and the spectacular beaches.

After three more hours, the girls were asleep, and we were just reaching Heatherfield. I pulled into the driveway and shut the engine off. "Hey, we're home." I said as I gently woke Irma up. Irma yawned and looked around and recognized the house.

She looked back and saw that Cornelia and the rest were still asleep. "Guys, wake up, we're home!" she said as I got out and opened the passenger-side door to let Irma out. The others stirred as they woke up. They looked around and realized that we were home and got out.

"Home, sweet home!" Irma said as we got inside. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at home, preparing for our next duty time.


	13. Insurgency Battles

Chapter 12: Insurgency Battles

Part 1: First Fight

19 March, 2019

Location: Western Pacific Ocean, just off North Korea

Three days after the official end of the North Korean war, the Gerald R. Ford battle group, along with the Shadow squadron, was sent back to North Korea after receiving a message from friendly forces that some North Korean commanders were refusing to comply with the order to disarm.

What the Gerald R. Ford crew didn't know was the way that this information would be confirmed. As the ships got close, they went on high alert. Suddenly, a radio call came in from the Hawkeye that was on patrol.

"Gerald R. Ford, this is Hawkeye, we have unknown riders inbound heading 270. Contacts are not responding to comms, suspect hostile intent, will classify as bandits. Launch the alert! Launch the alert!" the Hawkeye's radar controller said.

At that moment, the Gerald R. Ford's alert alarm sounded, and the Shadow 1 pilots scrambled for their plane.

After being towed onto the catapult, the pilots carried out their preflight checks. Robert started the F/A-18F's twin F414-400 turbofan engines. After the turbines were running, Robert taxied the plane to the #1 catapult.

He lowered the flaps to takeoff position, extended the launch bar and unfolded the wings.

The deck crew attached the holdback bar and the launch/recovery officer raised the deflector and charged the catapult.

"Shadow 1, cleared to launch!" the air boss said. At that moment, Robert gunned up the afterburners and braced as the catapult fired and launched the plane into the air.

Robert then turned to the west and later saw the contacts on his display screen. The IFF system identified them as MiG-35s. Robert pulled in closer for a better look.

Suddenly, the missile alert tone sounded, indicating that the contact had fired an R-73 Archer missile at his plane!

"Whoa, jeez!" Robert shouted as he dodged the missile with help from his decoy flares.

"Hawkeye, this is Shadow 1, we've been engaged, I say again, we've been engaged!" Robert reported.

"Copy that, Shadow 1, cleared to engage, splash the bandits, I say again, splash the bandits!" the Hawkeye's radar controller replied. Robert then selected his Sidewinder missiles, uncaged the seeker heads and locked on to the first MiG.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired his missile. The missile blew the MiG to bits.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill. Robert then locked onto the next MiG.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired his missile. The missile hit the MiG, splitting it in two.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the remains fall. Suddenly, the missile warning tone sounded. Robert broke hard into the missile and released decoy flares. After evading the missile, he locked onto the MiG using his HMS.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired the Sidewinder. The missile hit the MiG's left wing, tearing it off.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the enemy pilot eject. He locked onto the last MiG and got ready.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired the missile. The missile hit the tail surfaces, causing the MiG to go into a tailspin.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Roger, airspace is clear, return to home plate!" the Hawkeye ordered. After that encounter, Robert landed at the Gerald R. Ford. Robert and the others soon learned that the MiG-35s that he splashed were part of an insurgency force called "The Dragon of Vengeance".

Intel later indicated that this insurgency consisted of three armored groups, six squadrons of Tu-22 Backfire bombers, a group of IL-76 Candids, three squadrons of MiG-35s, three squadrons of Su-37 Terminators, two squadrons of Su-35 Super Flankers, and even a squadron of Su-47 Berkuts, totaling 64 planes!

Part 2: Surprise Attack

21 March, 2019

Location: 27 miles off the North Korean coastline

"Wow that was quite a fight we had two days ago!" Robert said as they Shadow squad pilots relaxed in their pilot's lounge on the Gerald R. Ford.

"Yeah, I didn't even expect that!" Irma replied.

Suddenly, the room shook as the unmistakable sound of an explosion echoed throughout the ship!

"What the hell was that?!" Kim asked as the emergency alarm sounded. They got their answer when they heard a message from the ship's P.A.:

"Red alert! Red alert! We've got fire in port bow! Missile impact confirmed! All planes scramble and prepare to take off!"

"Jeez! Let's go!" Robert said as they headed up to the flight deck.

"The number two catapult is out, so we can launch only three planes at a time. Launch and stand by for further orders." The air boss said as they taxied to the working catapults. The planes launched and circled around the ship.

"We've got multiple enemy cruise missiles inbound to the ship! Shadow flight, intercept and destroy these cruise missiles!" the Hawkeye ordered. The planes all turned towards the direction from which the missiles were coming.

"I've got radar lock!" Robert said as he targeted a cruise missile.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" he said as he launched an AMRAAM. Then, the team got a call from the Hawkeye:

"We've got additional contacts about twenty miles out, from their speed and size, they look like bombers."

"So, they must be the ones behind the missiles." Robert said. Shadow 1, 2, 3 and 4 split off to engage the bombers, while the rest remained to take out the cruise missiles.

There were two squadrons of Tu-22 Backfire bombers, all of which were behind the cruise missile attack. The bombers were escorted by a squadron of Su-35 Super Flankers.

As the F/A-18Fs got close, the bombers split off into two groups of six. Shadow 1 and 2 engaged one formation, while the other two engaged the other one. He and three of his wingmen then locked onto a group of Tu-22 Backfire bombers that were approaching.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired his missile.

"Shadow 4, fox three!" Hay Lin called out as she fired an AMRAAM.

"Shadow 2, fox three!" Kim called out as she fired.

"Shadow 3, fox three!" Will called out as one of her AMRAAMs flew off towards its target. A minute later, the missiles hit the bombers, destroying them.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit.

"Shadow 3, splash one!" Will called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 2, splash one!" Kim called out as her target was destroyed.

"Shadow 4, splash one!" Hay Lin said as her missile took her target out.

"Good kills, Shadow Flight, good work." AWACS said. Meanwhile, the other Shadow squad planes were engaging the last wave of cruise missiles. "Shadow 5, fox two!" Crystal called out as she fired a Sidewinder at a cruise missile.

"Shadow 6, fox three!" Liz called out as she fired an AMRAAM.

"Shadow 7, fox two!" Caleb called out as he fired a Sidewinder.

"Shadow 8, fox two!" Brick called out as he fired a missile.

The missiles hit and destroyed the cruise missiles on contact.

"Shadow 5, splash one!" Crystal called out after confirming her kill.

"Shadow 6, splash one!" Liz called out as she confirmed her kill.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he watched his missile hit.

"Shadow 8, splash one!" Brick called out as he saw the missiles blow up.

"Airspace is clear, good work Shadows!" the Hawkeye radar controller said. After the fight, the planes landed on the Gerald R. Ford, by then the fires have been put out and the damage assessed.

"Wow, that was rough!" Irma said as the pilots relaxed in the pilots' lounge.

"Yeah, but we're on a tough ship. Even an enemy missile impact can't take this vessel down!" Robert replied.

"Hey, I heard that we're getting a new wingman in three days." Cornelia said as she came in.

"Wow, who is it?"" Will asked.

"You're not going to believe this; it's Martin!" Hay Lin replied.

"Martin, as in THE Martin? The Martin we all knew from way back in high school? THAT Martin?" Irma asked, in a shocked tone.

"Yep, and he doesn't even know that you're here!" Cornelia replied.

As a result of the missile impact, the Gerald R. Ford's portside forward defensive weapons station was destroyed, and the #2 catapult was disabled. The carrier is still combat capable, and will remain in the combat zone. Three days later, a new pilot joined the team: Lieutenant Martin Tubbs, callsign "Lightning." He was greatly surprised to see Irma as a part of the team.

Part 3: One-Hit Wonder

25 March, 2018

The team got an alert of another squadron of Tu-22s inbound to the carrier, escorted by the other Super Flanker group, as well as a squadron of Su-37 Terminators.

Robert and Irma were sent up in Shadow 1 to escort Shadow 9 (Martin) on his first real combat mission.

"Shadow 9, you ready for this?" Robert asked the rookie.

"Affirmative! Ready anytime!" Martin replied.

"I like your confidence, let's roll!" Robert said as the two broke off to engage.

"Show me what you got, Lightning!" Robert said as Martin accelerated ahead of his plane. Martin locked onto a bomber while Robert stood back to watch.

"Shadow 9, fox three!" Martin called out as he fired his first missile. The missile connected, destroying the bomber.

"Shadow 9, splash one!" Martin called out as he confirmed his first kill. Martin then locked onto the next bomber.

"Shadow 9, fox three!" he called out as he fired his next missile. The bomber was hit in the fuselage and was torn in two.

"Shadow 9, splash one!" Martin called out as he confirmed his second kill. Martin then locked onto the third bomber.

"Shadow 9, fox three!" he called out as he fired his next missile. The missile hit the bomber's right wing, tearing it off.

"Shadow 9, splash one!" Martin called out as he confirmed his third kill. He then locked onto the last bomber with his Sidewinders.

"Shadow 9, fox two!" he called out as he fired his missile. The missile hit the bomber's tail, tearing it off.

"Shadow 9, splash one!" Martin called out as he confirmed his fourth kill.

"Nice shooting, Shadow 9! We knew you had it in you!" Robert said as the last of the enemy bombers was destroyed.

"Thank you, Blaze! I guess we're all natural pilots!" Martin replied.

Just as the team was starting to head back, they got a call from the AWACS:

"Emergency! We have enemy reinforcements headed your way!"

"What are we dealing with?" Robert asked.

"We have another group of bombers and…you've got to be kidding me, they've got Berkuts!" AWACS replied.

"Let's go get 'em!" Robert replied as the two planes went to engage the enemy. Martin locked onto the first Berkut with his Sidewinders.

"Shadow 9, fox two!" Martin called out as he fired his missile. The missile hit the Berkut's fuselage, tearing it in two.

"Shadow9, splash one!" he called out as he confirmed his fifth kill, which made him an ace.

Suddenly, one of the remaining Berkuts fired an R-73 Archer at Martin's plane! "LIGHTNING! YOU'VE GOT A MISSILE! EVADE!" Robert shouted as the missile approached Martin's plane. Martin tried to evade the missile, but in vein. The missile hit the forward fuselage, killing Martin instantly! "LIGHTNING!" Robert and Irma shouted simultaneously. _NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! This was his first real mission!!! It was too soon for him to die! Alchemy is NOT going to be happy about this!!_ Irma thought as they watched the remains of Martin's plane fall into the ocean.

Robert made the grim call to AWACS: "Shadow 9 is down, I say again, Shadow 9 is down!"

"Roger, do you have a confirmation on the pilot's status?" AWACS asked.

"Affirmative, he…didn't make it." Robert grimly replied.

"Dammit!" AWACS replied. Robert, now filled with absolute rage, engaged the three remaining Berkuts.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired a Sidewinder. The missile detonated just behind the tailpipes, causing the Su-47 to nosedive.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he followed the disabled Berkut and shot it to pieces with his aircraft's Vulcan cannon. Robert pulled up and barely managed to get a lock on with his AMRAAMs.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" he called out as he fired his missile. The missile was so close that it hit the Berkut before its radar jamming took effect.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he engaged the last remaining Berkut.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired a missile. The Berkut managed to dodge the missile, but Robert was merciless.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired another missile. The missile hit the Berkut, which blew to pieces!

"Airspace is sanitized, return to home plate." AWACS ordered. Robert flew back and landed on the carrier. When he and Irma got back to the pilots' lounge, Irma fell into Robert's arms and cried heavily.

The others came into the lounge after a few minutes. "Hey, guys how did- Irma! What's wrong?" Cornelia asked when she noticed that Irma was crying.

"It's Martin, he's…they…he's DEAD!" Irma replied as she burst into more tears.

"What, how… what happened!?" Cornelia asked Robert.

"A Berkut got him." Robert grimly replied.

"Oh, my…Irma, I'm so sorry; come here." Cornelia said as she hugged Irma, who cried on her shoulder.

Irma cried herself to sleep that night. _Poor Irma, Martin was her friend! I hope she can recover! _Robert thought as he fell asleep.

Lieutenant Martin Tubbs was KIA on 4 April, 2018 at 3:07PM Pacific Time. He was given a posthumous two-rank promotion and was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart Medal.

Part 4: Recon Flight

5 April, 2018

Location: North Korea's eastern coastline

Robert and Irma have been assigned the duty of flying a reconnaissance mission over an installation that was rumored to be in the area. Robert and Irma got into their plane and took off. They headed for the coastline and got the camera system ready.

"You ready to do this?" Robert asked as they got over the area.

"Yeah, let's go." Irma replied. "OK, we're going into burner." Robert said as he went to full afterburner for the recon run.

"Stand by for roll." Irma said as she activated the camera system.

"We're rolling digital." Irma said as they carried out their photo run.

Suddenly, a surface-to-air missile fired at them! Robert dropped flares and chaff and evaded the missile as they turned around to head back to the ship.

"Jeez, that was close!" Irma said as they headed back to the ship.

"Yeah, too close!" Robert replied. They landed on the Gerald R. Ford and got the photos to the commanders.

After analyzing the photos that were taken, the commanders discovered that this installation is the insurgents' main stronghold.

Part 5: Base Attack

7 April, 2018

Location: North Korea's eastern coastline

The insurgency's main stronghold will be attacked today via an airstrike by the Shadow team. The planes were armed with LGBs and Maverick air-to-surface missiles.

"This is it, all planes, split and engage!" Robert ordered as the Shadow planes split off to carry out their attacks.

"Shadow 1, two away!" Robert said as he dropped a pair of bombs on a pair of barracks buildings, kicking off the attack.

"Shadow 3, one away!" Will said as she dropped a cluster bomb on the base's fuel bunkers. The bunkers exploded in a huge fireball.

Hay Lin lined up on the last plane that was on the base's small airstrip runway.

"Shadow 4, one away!" she said as she dropped her bomb. The bomb hit the Super Flanker just as it was applying full power, blocking the runway. Liz lined up on the base's vehicle hangars.

"Shadow 6, one away!" she called out as she dropped a bomb on one of the hangars. Robert lined himself up on a line of Mi-24 Hinds on the flightline. Robert began to level off before strafing the Hinds. Robert then leveled off and headed out to prepare for his next attack. "Shadow 8, one away!" Brick called out as he dropped a bomb on another hangar.

"Shadow 5, one away!" Crystal called out as she dropped a laser-guided bomb on the base's control tower.

"Shadow 2, one away!" Kim called out as she dropped a bomb on yet another ammo dump.

"Shadow 7, one away!" Caleb called out as he dropped a bomb on a barracks building. Robert lined up for the attack on the last remaining facility.

"Shadow 1, one away!" he called out as he ended it by dropping his last bomb on the command center. The pilots cheered when they got back onto the ship.

"We did it! We won!" the pilots shouted when they got out of their planes. With the destruction of the stronghold, all of the hostile forces in North Korea have been blown out of existence. The Gerald R. Ford headed home back to the States. Intel later discovered that some enemy forces escaped from North Korea before the attack on the base and fled east.

Part 6: Super Hornet Hive (The Final Conflicts)

Location: Southern California

Shortly after the destruction of the insurgents in North Korea, Shadow 1 and Shadow 7 were sent back to the States to be deployed at the Subterranean Super Hornet Air Base, a secret underground base known as Super Hornet Hive.

There, they were to fight one last threat: an insurgent commander, Colonel Sam Oh Gum-chol, with two squadrons of MiG-35s, two squadrons of Su-35 Super Flankers, a squadron of IL-76 Candids, and two squadrons of Tu-22 bombers, took off from North Korea shortly before the destruction of the other insurgent forces, and set up a stronghold on an island 254 miles off the coast of California.

Mission 1: Bomber intercept

12 April, 2018

AWACS detected a squadron of TU-22 Backfire bombers trying to fly in under the radar. Intel stated that these bombers may be carrying strontium-19, a potent chemical weapon. An intercept has been plotted to take out the bombers over the ocean.

This mission was important, for just one bomber can threaten the entire western hemisphere! The bombers are being escorted by a squadron of MiG-35s. After the briefing, Robert, Irma, Caleb and Cornelia went to their planes in the underground hangar. They then taxied out to the elevator that would bring them to the launch/recovery apparatus.

One-by-one, the two planes were brought out to the catapults. Shadow 1 launched first, with Shadow 7 not far behind. After launch, the two planes headed for the waypoint to intercept the bombers. Robert and Caleb armed their AMRAAMs and locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox 3!" Robert called out as he fired a missile at a MiG-35.

"Shadow 7, fox 3!" Caleb called out as he fired one at a bomber. Both missiles connected, destroying their targets.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 1, fox 3!" Robert called out as he fired a missile at a bomber.

"Shadow 7, fox 3!" Caleb called out as he fired one at a MiG-35. Both missiles hit their marks.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his kill.

"Shadow 7, fox 3!" Caleb called out as he fired a missile at a bomber.

"Shadow 7, fox 3!" Caleb called out as he fired at another bomber. Both missiles hit and destroyed their targets.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his kill.

Suddenly, one of the two remaining MiG-35s fired an R-73 Archer at Shadow 7!

"Shadow 7, missile, break right!" Robert ordered when he spotted the missile. Caleb managed to evade the missile and engaged the MiGs.

"Shadow 7, fox two!" Caleb called out as he fired a Sidewinder at one of the MiGs. The missile flew up the tailpipe and detonated, causing the MiG to explode.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he saw the MiG explode. Robert engaged the last MiG and locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired his missile. The missile went up the MiG's left air intake, detonating inside the intake duct.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the MiG explode.

"Airspace is sanitized, good work." The Hawkeye said as the two planes formed up and made their way back to the base. The planes landed at the base and were taken via the elevator back to the underground hangar.

Mission 2: Air patrol/Recon

14 April, 2018

The Shadow team was assigned the duty of carrying out a combat air patrol/reconnaissance mission near the island on which Oh Gum-chol has his base of operations.

The two F/A-18Fs launched from Super Hornet Hive and flew to their assigned patrol area. A few minutes into their patrol, the American pilots got a call from AWACS:

"Shadow flight, this is AWACS Sentinel, we have contacts inbound from bearing 270, possible Super Flanker group." The fighters then detected the Super Flankers on their APG-79 AESA radars.

"Roger that, we're on our way." Robert said as he and Caleb turned towards the bandits. They armed their weapons and locked on to the Super Flankers.

"Shadow 1, fox 3!" Robert called out as he launched his missile. The missile slammed into the fuselage of the Super Flanker, tearing it apart.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill. Caleb locked onto a pair of Su-35s as he closed in.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" he called out as he fired his missiles. The AMRAAMs blew the Super Flankers apart when they hit.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his two kills. Suddenly, one of the two remaining MiG-35s fired an R-73 Archer at Shadow 1!

"Shadow 1, missile, break right!" Caleb said when he spotted the missile. Robert managed to evade the missile and engaged the MiGs.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Caleb called out as he fired a Sidewinder at one of the MiGs. The missile flew up the tailpipe and detonated, causing the MiG to explode.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he saw the MiG explode. Robert engaged the last MiG and locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired his missile. The missile went up the MiG's left tailpipe, detonating inside the nozzle.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the MiG explode.

After destroying the bandits, the fighters headed for their recon location.

"You ready to do this?" Robert asked as they got over the area.

"Yeah, let's go." Irma replied. "OK, we're going into burner." Robert said as he and Caleb went to full afterburner for the recon run.

"Stand by for roll." Irma said as she activated the camera system.

"We're rolling digital." Irma said as they carried out their photo run. Suddenly, a surface-to-air missile fired at them! Robert released flares and chaff and evaded the missile as they turned around to head back to the base.

"Jeez, that was close!" Irma said as they began heading back to the base.

"Yeah, too close!" Robert replied. They headed back to Super Hornet Hive and took the photos to the intelligence room to be analyzed.

Mission 3: Factory Destruction

15 April, 2018

The recon photographs that were taken during yesterday's mission revealed a chemical weapons factory located on an island ten miles from the one on which Oh Gum-chol's base lies. The Shadow team was ordered to carry out an airstrike on this factory, using the fuel-air explosive variant of the Paveway III 2,000 pound laser-guided bomb.

The team took off at night to conceal their movements. They approached their targets at low altitude to prevent radar detection.

Suddenly, they detected a group of bandits on their radar displays. They armed their weapons and locked on to the Super Flankers.

"Shadow 1, fox 3!" Robert called out as he launched his missile. The missile slammed into the fuselage of the Super Flanker, tearing it apart.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kill. Caleb locked onto a pair of Su-35s as he closed in.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" he called out as he fired his missiles. The AMRAAMs blew the Super Flankers apart when they hit.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his two kills. Suddenly, one of the two remaining MiG-35s fired an R-73 Archer at Shadow 1!

"Shadow 1, missile, break right!" Caleb said when he spotted the missile. Robert managed to evade the missile and engaged the MiGs.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Caleb called out as he fired a Sidewinder at one of the MiGs. The missile flew up the tailpipe and detonated, causing the MiG to explode.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he saw the MiG explode. Robert engaged the last MiG and locked on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired his missile. The missile went up the MiG's left tailpipe, detonating inside the nozzle.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the MiG explode.

When they got close to the target, they climbed up, and armed their LGBs.

"Shadow 1, four away!" Robert called out as he dropped his bombs.

"Shadow 7, four away!" Caleb called out as he released his aircraft's bomb load. They watched as the bombs went off, destroying the chemical weapons factory. After that, they made another pass for damage assessment. After confirming the factory's destruction, the Shadow planes returned to the base.

Mission 4: Transport Intercept

16 April, 2018

The Shadow planes have been ordered to intercept a group of IL-76 transport planes and Su-35 Super Flanker fighters headed for the mainland. Intel has confirmed that they are on their way to carry out a chemical attack against Heatherfield and San Diego.

The F-18s launched into the air and raced at full speed towards the enemy planes. They armed their weapons as they got close. Caleb targeted the enemy fighters while Robert engaged the bombers.

"Shadow 1, fox 3!" Robert called out as he fired a volley of AMRAAMs at the Candids. The missiles struck the IL-76s, destroying them.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kills. Meanwhile, Caleb was engaging the Super Flankers.

"Shadow 7, fox 3!" he called out as he launched his missile. The missile slammed into the fuselage of the Super Flanker, tearing it apart.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his kill. Caleb then locked onto another pair of Su-35s that were closing in.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" he called out as he fired his missiles. The AMRAAMs blew the Super Flankers apart when they hit.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his two kills. He then locked onto the last remaining Super Flankers with his Sidewinders.

"Shadow 7, fox two!" he called out as he launched his missile. He then locked onto the other Su-35.

"Shadow 7, fox two!" he called out as he fired the missile. The two missiles hit their targets, destroying them.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his kills.

Robert and his wingman then locked onto another group of IL-76s that were attempting to escape.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" he called out as he fired the missile.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" Caleb called out as he fired an AMRAAM. A minute later, the missiles hit the Candids, destroying them.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as his missile hit.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb said as his missile took his target out. There were four more Candids remaining, and the F/A-18s had two AMRAAMs each.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired his missiles.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" Caleb called out as he fired. The missiles zoomed towards the Candids, which tried to evade. The missiles hit one-by-one, destroying all four Candids.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he confirmed his kills.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his kills. After the destruction of the transports and escort fighters, the Shadow planes, once again victorious, returned to Super Hornet Hive.

Final Mission: Destruction of the Renegades

18 April, 2018

The commanders at Super Hornet Alley are finally ready to send the Shadow planes on the mission to destroy Oh Gum-chol's base. After the briefing, Robert, Irma, Caleb and Cornelia went to their planes in the underground hangar.

They then taxied out to the elevator that would bring them to the launch/recovery apparatus. One-by-one, the two planes were brought out to the catapults. Shadow 1 launched first, with Shadow 7 not far behind. They formed up and proceeded towards the island.

When they got there, they saw that there were some Tu-22's on the tarmac. The pilots armed their weapons and prepared for their attack run.

"Shadow 1, two away!" Robert called out as he dropped two Mk-84 2,000lb bombs on the Tu-22 bombers that were on the tarmac. The bombs hit their marks, causing debris to fly all over the area.

"Shadow 7, two away!" Caleb called out as he dropped a pair of bombs on a pair of hangars. The bombs obliterated the hangars, destroying the aircraft inside. Robert circled around and began his second attack run.

"Shadow 1, two away!" he called out as he dropped his remaining Mk-84s onto the control tower and the barracks facility. The facilities were completely destroyed by the bomb impacts. Caleb circled around and lined up on a pair of ammo dumps.

"Shadow 7, two away!" he called out as he dropped his bombs. The bombs hit the ammo dumps, causing large secondary explosions. Robert lined up on the flightline for his last run.

"Shadow 1, one away!" he called out as he dropped his Mk-20 cluster bomb on a group of Tu-22 bombers. The bombers were severely damaged by the shower of submunitions. Robert pulled away as Caleb began his run on a group of MiG-35s that were prepping for takeoff.

"Shadow 7, one away!" he called out as he released his Mk-20. The bomb burst open and released its deadly shower. The MiGs were devastated by the cluster bomb's effects. "All facilities destroyed, good work." J-STARS said.

Suddenly, the pilots got an emergency call:

"Shadow 1, Shadow 7, this is AWACS, we've got MiGs bearing 090, headed straight for Super Hornet Hive!" The two F/A-18's then turned around and plugged in afterburners.

Five minutes later, they caught up with the MiGs. Suddenly, the radio intercept picked up this transmission:

"You may have destroyed our base, but we have not lost yet, Yanks!" The pilots were shocked by this message. _That's gotta be Oh Gum-chol's voice, the bastard! _Robert thought as he and Caleb armed their air-to-air weapons for the final showdown.

"Shadow 1, fox three!" Robert called out as he fired his AMRAAM.

"Shadow 7, fox three!" Caleb called out as he fired his missile. Both missiles hit their marks, destroying the MiGs.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" Robert called out as he watched the MiG explode.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his kill. The other two MiGs turned to evade the attacks. Robert chased down one MiG while Caleb chased the other.

"Shadow 7, fox two!" Caleb called out as he fired his Sidewinder. The missile connected and destroyed the MiG.

"Shadow 7, splash one!" Caleb called out as he confirmed his last kill of the conflict.

"OK, Yank, let's see how good you REALLY are!" Oh Gum-chol said as the fight began. Robert followed his every move, trying to lock on.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" Robert called out as he fired a Sidewinder. Oh Gum-chol released flares and barely managed to dodge the missile. _You're good… _Robert thought as he locked on again.

"Shadow 1, fox two!" he called out as he fired another Sidewinder. This time, the missile hit Oh Gum-chol's MiG, which instantly exploded in a large fireball. _…But I'm better!_ Robert thought as the MiG exploded into flames.

"Shadow 1, splash one!" he called out as he confirmed the war's last kill. The planes returned to base, where Will and the other 11 Shadow pilots were waiting.

"We did it! The war's over!" Cornelia cheered as they left the base to go back to Heatherfield. After their return to Heatherfield, Will, Irma, Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin, Matt, Caleb and Robert were honorably discharged from active duty in the Navy after serving nearly three years. They are now in the Naval Reserve.


	14. PostWar Events

Chapter 13: Post-War Events

Part 1: Disaster in Heatherfield

15 July, 2019

Location: Heatherfield, CA

Irma and Robert were walking along the road towards the beach to have fun.

Will and Matt were jet-skiing in the area near the Heatherfield Bridge.

Cornelia and Caleb were relaxing at home, and Hay Lin, Eric, Taranee, Nigel, and Elyon were at the Heatherfield Mall.

Robert and Irma were walking on the overpass that went over the interstate when it began to shake briefly.

"What was that?" Irma asked.

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about it." Robert replied.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose as the shaking resumed and got more violent!

"RUN!" Robert yelled as he and Irma rushed to get off the overpass. Suddenly, they heard a loud cracking sound from below. They looked around, and realized that it was coming from the overpass. Before they could react, part of the overpass collapsed, nearly taking Irma with it! Thankfully, Irma managed to grab the edge before she fell.

"ROBERT, HEELP!!!!" Irma shouted.

"IRMA!" Robert shouted as he rushed to his fiancé's aid. He managed to pull her up despite the shaking and they saw that the Heatherfield Bridge was about to collapse. Robert could see a jet ski trying to get through before the bridge gave way.

As Robert and Irma watched, the bridge's main span broke in half as the support cables snapped. The support towers tipped inwards as the span fell into the harbor. Robert and Irma breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the jet ski made it through.

Seconds later, the shaking stopped, and Robert and Irma walked towards the area where the jet ski was. When they got there, they were surprised to find Will and Matt on the jet ski.

Five minutes ago, Taranee, Nigel, Hay Lin, Eric and Elyon were walking along the second floor of the Heatherfield mall.

"I wonder how Robert and Irma are doing." Hay Lin said as they walked.

"They're probably making mushy-talk on the beach." Elyon joked. The group barely contained a laugh as they walked.

"I can't believe they're actually gonna get married!" Taranee said.

"I know, I was wondering when it would happen!" Hay Lin replied. Suddenly, the ground began to shake for a few seconds.

"That can't be good!" Elyon said.

"No, that's never a good sign." Taranee replied. Just then, the shaking started again and got more violent! The girls and their spouses began to run for cover while dodging falling debris.

Suddenly, part of the walkway collapsed right under Hay Lin!

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Hay Lin screamed as she slid down the tilted section of the walkway that collapsed.

"HAY LIN!!!!" Taranee, Nigel, Eric and Elyon screamed as they ran towards the area where Hay Lin fell.

They looked over the edge and saw that Hay Lin was unconscious. As they ran to help Hay Lin, the staircase they used collapsed just as they got to the ground floor. They rushed to Hay Lin and checked her vital signs.

Taranee picked her up and carried her as they ran outside the mall. By the time they got outside, the shaking stopped. The group got to Taranee's van and drove to Hay Lin's house.

Ten minutes after they got there, Hay Lin regained consciousness.

"What…what happened?" she asked weakly.

"We had an earthquake, a really bad one." Taranee replied. Just then, Taranee's cell phone began to ring. Taranee checked her caller I.D. and saw that it was Cornelia.

"Hello?" Taranee answered.

"Taranee, are you all right?" Cornelia asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine! What about you?" Taranee replied.

"We're OK, our house is still standing. Where's Elyon?" Cornelia asked.

"She's OK, she's with us at Hay Lin's place. Hay Lin got hurt in the mall, but she's all right now." Taranee said.

"OK, we're on our way there now." Cornelia said.

"OK, see you in a few minutes." Taranee said as they hung up. Five minutes later, Cornelia and Caleb arrived at Hay Lin's house.

"We should check on the others." Cornelia said as she dialed Irma's cell number on her phone.

"Good idea." Taranee agreed as she dialed Will's number. Cornelia managed to get through to Irma, but Taranee had no response. "Dammit! I can't get through!" Taranee said as she put her phone in her pocket. "Don't worry; I'm sure she's OK." Nigel said.

At that moment, Taranee started crying on Nigel's shoulder. "I hope so; she's like a sister to me." Taranee sobbed as Nigel comforted her. Little did Taranee know that Will was alive and well.

Meanwhile, Robert, Irma, Will and Matt were walking around the city. Parts of the city looked like a war zone, with car alarms blaring, sirens wailing and chaos throughout the area.

"Bad time for my phone to be dead." Will said as they walked away from the beach. Suddenly, Irma's cell phone rang. Irma checked her caller I.D. and answered when she found out that it was Cornelia.

"Hey Corny, what's up?" Irma asked.

"We're fine, how are things with you?" Cornelia asked.

"We're fine, Robert got me out of a tight spot on the overpass, he's my hero." Irma replied.

"Great, Taranee and the others are here with us." Cornelia said.

"Great, how are they doing?" Irma asked.

"They're fine, but…" Cornelia began to say.

"But what?" Irma asked. "…but Hay Lin got hurt in the mall and got knocked out." Cornelia replied.

"Oh, how is she?" Irma asked. "She's OK, hey, is Will there?" Cornelia asked.

"Yeah, she and Matt are here with us." Irma replied.

"Great, see you later!" Cornelia said.

"Yeah, you too!" Irma said as she hung up, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Robert asked Irma in a comforting voice.

"It's Hay Lin; she got hurt in the earthquake." Irma replied. "Let's go, I'm sure they're worried about us." Robert said as they walked to Hay Lin's house. They got there ten minutes later. When they got inside, Taranee fell crying into Will's arms.

"Oh, Will! I was so worried, I thought that you might have been killed!" she sobbed as Will gently stroked her back.

"It's OK, I'm here now, and everything's going to be alright." Will said softly as she comforted Taranee. Taranee looked at her and smiled as Will wiped away her tears. They then went into the living room where Hay Lin was resting.

"How bad is it?" Hay Lin asked as Irma sat down beside her.

"The interstate is blocked by the collapsed overpass that Robert and I were walking on, and the Heatherfield Bridge collapsed as well. I think we should watch the news and see how bad it really is." Irma said as she turned on the television to watch the news report.

According to the report, the earthquake in Heatherfield was registered as a 7.6 on the Richter scale. At least one-tenth of the city was in ruins. All of their houses were completely intact after the earthquake, and all of the aftershocks that followed.

Part 2: Hostage Situation

12 January, 2020

Robert was getting his house ready for Irma to move in. He knew that in two months, he and Irma would be happily married. Irma was getting ready to meet Robert at the Heatherfield Mall to discuss their honeymoon plans when suddenly, a white van pulled up to her house.

She heard glass breaking and rushed to her basement to get her weapons, but her arm was grabbed by one of the men from the van.

"GET OFF OF M—" Irma yelled as she was bound, gagged and thrown into the van, which sped off into the night. One hour later, Robert was worried when Irma didn't show up at the mall. He figured that something must be wrong, so he decided to check her house.

Sure enough, his worst fears were realized when he saw the broken glass on the floor at Irma's house. He went to Will's house, where all of the other girls and their spouses were having a party.

"Guys, we have a serious problem!" Robert said when he went through the front door.

"What's going on? Is it about Irma?!" Cornelia asked.

"I'm afraid so; she's been abducted!!!" Robert grimly replied.

"WHAT?! Who would have done such a thing?!" Elyon asked.

"I don't know, but I'll have Intel look into it and later on we can see if we can plan a rescue mission."

At that moment, Cornelia burst into tears in Caleb's arms.

"Why would anyone do this, and why Irma? She hasn't done anything to deserve this!" Cornelia whimpered as she cried.

"I don't know, but I have the feeling that we're gonna find out." Robert replied as he and the others left to go to Irma's house to investigate her disappearance.

"Wow, there was definitely a struggle here." Will said as they looked around.

"Yeah, whoever did this must have been in a hurry." Taranee replied. Just then, Robert's cell phone went off and started ringing. Robert answered it; it was Intel. "What do we have?" Robert asked when he answered.

"We have the location of the kidnappers' hideout." the intelligence officer said.

"Great, where is it?" Robert asked.

"It's on the same island that Oh Gum-chol had his stronghold on." The officer said.

"Great, thanks for the info." Robert said as he hung up.

"Who was it? What did they say?" Hay Lin asked.

"It was Intel, they found the kidnappers' hideout." Robert replied.

"Great, where are those bastards holding Irma?" Cornelia asked.

"It's on the same island that Oh Gum-chol built his stronghold on." Robert replied.

"Great, now we can plan our rescue mission." Elyon said.

The group then left to go to the Intel lab at the Heatherfield Naval Base to plan the mission to rescue Irma. According to the information from Intel, the Air Force is sending an MQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance UAV to obtain photographs of the facility, while at the same time they are also trying to obtain schematic information about the complex.

The plan was simple:

Robert and the others will be taken close by the USS Cape St. George, from which an MH-60S helicopter will take them onto the island and drop them at a secluded location, where they will infiltrate the base.

Once inside, Intel will send them the schematics of the complex to help them locate Irma. They will then find that location and free Irma before getting out of the base by any means necessary. Once outside, they will escape the island via a gunboat that is docked at the eastern end of the island.

Once out to sea, they will rendezvous with the ship, which will launch a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles before taking Robert and the others back to Heatherfield.

"Great, now that we know what we're doing, let's see what firepower we'll be using." Will said after the briefing.

They went to the armory to select their gear while the helicopter was being prepped for takeoff.

They all selected the same set of gear: an M16A2 assault rifle with an M203 40mm grenade launcher slung under the barrel, a Glock-17 9mm semi-auto pistol, six standard fragmentation grenades, four flash grenades, and ten quarter-pound blocks of C-4 plastic explosives and ten detonators.

They also carried ten extra thirty-round magazines for the M16, 7 extra 40mm fragmentation high explosive grenade rounds for the M203 and five extra seventeen-round magazines for the Glock.

Robert and Cornelia chose to carry a .50-caliber sniper rifle with one five-round magazine. All of the guns have silencers, and the M16's have HUD-style holographic sights. The sniper rifles have high-zoom scopes with illuminated crosshairs and max magnification of 20X.

The team's helmets are fitted with the Battle-Comm battlefield information system, which has a transparent display over the eyes that displays information sent by Intel in text or graphic form. Will, Elyon and Hay Lin carried medical equipment so they can provide first aid for any wounds the team may sustain.

"Let's lock and load!" Taranee said as they got into the helicopter. The helicopter took off and headed for the USS Cape St. George. Over the next two hours, the cruiser made its way towards the island. The MH-60S prepped for takeoff as they got close to the island.

Robert and the others boarded the helicopter as the rotors revved up. As the helicopter got airborne, the team checked their gear. Robert and Caleb shut the doors as the helicopter flew towards the island at top speed.

After twenty minutes, they got close to the island. _Hang in there Irma; we're coming for you! _Robert thought as the helicopter approached the beach. The helicopter landed near a thick forest.

"Alright, let's move!" Robert commanded as the team leapt out of the helicopter. The group moved cautiously through the forest as the chopper took off and left the area.

They saw the entrance to the complex and noticed that there was only one guard. Cornelia took him out with her sniper rifle and the team moved on. Robert activated a special device that sent a false image to the base's security cameras.

Robert took the guard's cardkey and used it to open the door. Intel then sent them the schematic of the complex, showing that the prison compound where Irma was being held was two stories underground, and that the only way to get there was a large elevator that was at the end of the corridor where the group got inside. Any people inside would show up as heat signatures.

"OK, let's go!" Cornelia said as they went towards the elevator. Robert saw that the elevator's control panel has a card reader like the one at the door and used the keycard that he kept.

The buttons lit up as a computerized voice said, **Elevator controls activated. **The team got on the elevator and rode it to the prison two stories below.

Robert had his gun raised and ready when the elevator door opened. He saw four guards and took them down with eight shots from his M16. He checked the schematic data on his Battle-Com, which indicated that Irma was in the third cell forward to the left, which was labeled "Cell 3A".

He used the keycard on the reader next to the door, but instead of opening the door, a panel slid up to reveal a handprint scanner as a computerized voice said: **Handprint identification required**.

"SHIT!" Robert said. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind the door: "Robert, is that you?" Robert realized that Irma heard him.

"Irma! Irma, can you hear me?" Robert asked.

"Yeah, I can hear you just fine." Irma said.

"Don't worry, dear, we're gonna get you out of this shithole." Robert said.

"We? You mean the others are here too?" Irma asked.

"Yeah, they volunteered to help." Robert replied. Robert then went to where the guards lay dead and dragged one up to the scanner.

"Hang in there, sweetheart, this will only take a few seconds." Robert said as he put the guard's hand up to the scanner, which beeped as it read the handprint: **Handprint identification confirmed. Access granted.**

A split-second later, the door to Irma's cell opened. Irma ran out of the cell and into Robert's arms.

"Oh Robert, I knew you'd come for me." Irma said as grateful tears welled up in her eyes. "Of course I would, now let's blow this dump." Robert said as they went to a small room near the elevator.

Inside the room were four more guards and a large red button behind a bulletproof glass shield at the other side. Robert and Cornelia each fired four shots from their M16's and the rest of the group moved in.

Robert found a keycard reader slot on the wall next to the shield and used the keycard. **Access granted. **

The shield then went up as the group moved towards the button. Robert read the label underneath: "Self-Destruct Activation; Warning, once pressed, sequence cannot be aborted!"

Robert looked at the button, then at his friends.

"Let's do this!" Robert said as he pressed the button and the group began to sprint to the elevator. Before getting there, Irma grabbed an AK-47 from one of the dead guards. As they got in the elevator, a computerized voice spoke:

**The self-destruct system has been activated, repeat, the self-destruct system has been activated. This sequence cannot be aborted; this facility will detonate in seven minutes. All personnel evacuate immediately. **

Just then, a loud alarm began to sound all over the complex. At this time, the elevator reached the ground floor.

Robert and the others took a right when they reached a fork in the corridor. They took the silencers off of their guns and kept running until they reached a door, which was labeled, "Loading Bay" Robert unlocked it using the keycard and the group went inside.

The loading bay was huge, and at the other end was a large shutter, which was the way out.

"OK, let's go!" Robert said. Suddenly, shots rang out from the other end!

"SHIT! RETURN FIRE!" Robert yelled as he started shooting at the guards. The others started shooting, and it was officially a firefight. Suddenly, a short scream was heard from the group. Hay Lin turned around and saw that Eric was hit in the right shoulder!

"ERIC!!!" she yelled as she tried to get him out of the fight to treat his wound. The others kept shooting while slowly making their way to the shutter doors. During the shoot-out, the intercom regularly counted down the time remaining until detonation.

Three minutes later, the group was near the exit when, suddenly; "AGGGHHHH!!!!" Taranee yelled. Will and Nigel looked to see Taranee bleeding from her left leg.

"TARANEE!" the two called out as they ran to Taranee's aid. Just then, the intercom came on with a grim message: **This facility will detonate in ten seconds…nine…eight…seven…six…**The group ran outside, with Will and Nigel carrying Taranee. Robert made sure that everyone else got out. "Robert…" Irma started to say.

"I'll be behind you, go!" Robert said as Irma got outside. Robert ran out just as the countdown continued: …**Four…three…two…one…zero…detonation sequence activated.**

"EVERYBODY HIT THE DECK!!!" Robert yelled. The group ducked down and, just two seconds later, a loud roar echoed throughout the island as the complex exploded in three huge blasts. Ten seconds later, the group looked up and saw that the facility was now a raging inferno.

Irma looked at Robert, who looked at her. "Are you all right, Irma?" Robert said in a soft voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine; and it's all thanks to you!" Irma replied as she gave Robert a "Thank You" kiss. The kiss lasted for ten seconds before they broke off. "Let's go home." Robert said as the group walked to the docks where the gunboat was parked.

When they got on, Robert found that the key was in the ignition. He started the engine as the others settled down. Irma sat next to Robert as they got underway. Robert then made the call to the USS Cape St. George:

"This is Tsunami Savior group leader to Golden Hawk, we need a medevac! We have multiple wounded on board." The cruiser's captain then responded, "Roger, medevac is spooling up now."

Five minutes later, the Seahawk helicopter met up with the gunboat and picked up Taranee and Eric. Will, Nigel and Hay Lin went with while the rest stayed on the gunboat. Ten minutes later, they had the cruiser in sight.

The Cape St. George was underway, but had slowed down to fifteen knots to make the rendezvous easier. Robert pulled the gunboat alongside the cruiser while a rope ladder was extended to them.

Robert planted his C4 explosives on the boat on the bow and stern, and set them with two of his detonators. He set the timer for thirty seconds and adjusted the steering wheel so that when the boat was released, it would veer away from the cruiser.

Robert armed the bombs, gunned the engine to full power and got on the ladder as the ropes holding the boat were severed. Twenty seconds later, the boat was a safe distance from the cruiser when the explosives detonated, destroying the gunboat.

Just then, Robert heard an announcement coming from the ship's P.A.:

"All hands clear the deck for missile launch!" Robert got inside, where the others were waiting. The room that the group was in had two screens: one showed the image of the island that was being taken by the Global Hawk UAV, while the second was blank; that one would show the imagery from the first missile.

Just then, the first of ten Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from the rear deck launcher. The nine other missiles launched one by one just after the first.

The missiles carried fuel-air explosive warheads weighing seven-hundred pounds each. Five minutes later, as the group watched, the ten missiles hit their designated impact points and detonated with impressive power.

"Wow, no one could possibly survive that, even if they survived the complex's destruction!" Cornelia said as they watched. Once it was over, the entire island was turned into a huge, raging firestorm.

Two days later, Robert and the others returned to Heatherfield and turned in the gear that they used when they rescued Irma. Taranee and Eric recovered completely from the wounds that they sustained.

Robert and Irma later finished finalizing their wedding plans. They later learned that the group that abducted Irma apparently was a terrorist group that wanted to use her capture as a way to project power and gain influence. They were planning to have killed her two hours after Robert and the others got to her and freed her. Robert and Irma planned to have their wedding on the flight deck of the Gerald R. Ford, and they planned to take a honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean (with Cornelia) on board the "Voyager of the Seas".

Part 3: Wedding Day

14 March, 2020

USS Gerald R. Ford flight deck (Heatherfield Harbor)

Everything was carefully planned for Robert and Irma's wedding. The altar was set up on the bow of the carrier, on the large number "78" between the bow catapults. Five rows of chairs were set up, with an aisle in between.

A large, white arch was set up over the altar and decorated with numerous flowers, while a blue carpet was placed along the aisle. A dance area was set up behind the last row of chairs, and the reception would take place in the officers' mess hall, which was decorated appropriately.

The guest list included Robert and Irma's families. Cornelia and Elyon volunteered to be the bridesmaids, while Caleb was the best man, and Irma's younger brother, Chris was the ring-bearer, while Robert's younger sisters, Jennifer and Alyssa, helped with the decorations. Will and Taranee made sure that everything was in working order.

At noon, the guests began to arrive and settle in. At 12:30PM, when the music began to play, Robert, who was wearing a black tuxedo with a navy-blue tie and a blue carnation, black slacks, and a white undershirt, walked down the aisle first, accompanied by his mother, Michelle. After he got to the altar, Irma, accompanied by her father, came up.

Irma looked beautiful! She was wearing a white silk dress with a white, see-through veil, white dress shoes, and a pearl bracelet. She was also wearing the pendant that Robert gave her during the trip to Oregon. She was carrying a bouquet of white roses and blue tulips wrapped in a light-blue plastic wrapping.

After Irma and her father got to the altar, she and Robert held hands as the chaplain spoke:

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony. If any of you have a reason why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

There was complete silence, signifying that everyone had no problem with Robert and Irma being happy together. After a minute, the chaplain turned to Robert and asked:

"Do you, Robert Castellanos, take Irma Lair to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in heath, to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"

Robert smiled and said: "I do." The chaplain then turned to Irma and ask: "Do you, Irma Lair, take Robert Castellanos to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in heath, to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"

Irma smiled and blushed as she said: "I do." The chaplain then said: "May the ring-bearer please present the rings."

At that moment, Chris came up to the altar carrying the small pillow that held Robert and Irma's wedding rings. Robert and Irma then slipped each other's rings on each other's fingers. At that moment, the chaplain said,

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Lair. You may kiss the bride." At that moment, everyone cheered as Robert and Irma kissed.

The instant that they kissed, the Blue Angels flew over the carrier in formation, splitting off over the altar. After that, the carrier's P.A. system began to play romantic music and everyone got on the dance area for some slow-dancing, followed by the reception in the officers' mess hall.

As everyone left, Irma tossed her bouquet at the crowd behind her. Will ended up catching the bouquet, and she looked at it before looking at Matt with a smile. Irma and Robert waved goodbye as they got into a jet-black stretch limousine, which had a banner on the back of the trunk that read: "Just married!" The limo pulled away as the crowd continued waving.

Part 4: Honeymoon Cruise(Robert's POV)

**Day 1(Departure)**

16 March, 2020

Irma, Cornelia and I were at the terminal at Heatherfield International Airport to catch a flight to Houston, Texas for our cruise. We were talking about the battles we fought as Navy pilots when the announcement came:

"Continental Airlines flight 1536 to Houston, Texas is now boarding for all passengers at Gate C3, repeat, Continental Airlines flight 1536 to Houston, Texas is now boarding for all passengers at Gate C3."

We wasted no time getting to the gate to board the 737-800. We sat in first-class, near the front of the plane. After ten minutes, we took off. After six-and-a-half hours, we landed in Houston. We made our way to the cruise ship terminal in Galveston after leaving the airport.

The ship that we were going to be boarding was the "Voyager of the Seas."

The ship was huge, even from a distance. "Wow, that ship is huge!" Cornelia exclaimed as we got close.

"Yep, it's one of the largest in the world, and we're getting on board!" I said. We boarded the ship and got an E2 Balcony stateroom on the ship's port side, on Deck 7, #7620. After settling in, we took a guided tour of the ship.

At approximately 4:00PM, the ship set sail for the Caribbean. We relaxed for the rest of the day.

**Day 3**

We decided to take a swim in one of the ship's swimming pools. Cornelia was wearing a light green bikini with dark green flowers, while Irma wore her blue two-piece suit. I couldn't help but stare as we made our way to the pool on Deck 11.

The pool was located on the top deck, near the middle of the ship. We dove in at the same time, but I surfaced first. When Irma came up, I couldn't help but stare as her beautiful brown hair glistened in the sunlight.

Cornelia came up and this time, it was Irma that was staring, but at her. "Wow, your hair looks beautiful, Corny." Irma said.

"Aww, you're sweet! I can say the same about you, Irma!" Cornelia said as she blushed. I submerged and swam around for a few minutes. Suddenly, I felt someone grabbing my leg. I nearly choked as I surfaced and when I looked, I saw Irma right next to me with a silly grin on her face.

I tried to contain a laugh, but when Irma started laughing, I couldn't hold it and I laughed. We climbed out and walked to the edge at the deep end. Irma jumped in and swam to the other side.

"Cannonball!" I yelled as I curled up into a ball and jumped in. I surfaced and looked to see Irma and Cornelia at the other end. I swam over using the breaststroke, and found myself next to the girls within a few minutes.

After three hours of swimming fun, we got out and went back to our stateroom. That evening, we had dinner at the Portofino restaurant before heading to the observation deck to watch the sunset.

Irma sat between me and Cornelia as the sun began to set. The sunset made the sky glow with a brilliant red-orange light that was reflected off of the surface of the ocean. "Wow! It's…so…beautiful." Cornelia said as she put her arm around Irma's shoulder.

"Yeah, it is beautiful." I said as I put my arm around Irma's other shoulder. That night, we slept hard, but tomorrow would prove to be exciting.

**Day 5**

We decided to go to the Cleopatra's Needle lounge to relax. As it so happened, it was karaoke night, (I kne that the girls would jump at the chance to sing). Irma and Cornelia decided to do a duet with one another.

"This one's for you, dear!" Irma said to me on the microphone. The girls smiled as they took the stage and began singing. _Wow, they sound great together! _I thought as I watched the girls sing their hearts out.

I was in a trance by the time they got halfway through the song. _I can see them as a group in the future!_ I thought as they got to the last lines of the song. Everyone began applauding loudly when the song ended.

"YEAH, THAT'S THE IRMA I MARRIED!" I shouted over the noise of the applause. After we left the lounge, the ship had docked at an island in the Caribbean Sea. We disembarked and walked around in our swimwear.

There was a small marina with jet-skis parked along the beach. "Wanna take a ride?" I asked Irma.

"Yeah, sounds like fun!" Irma replied as we rented a couple of jet-skis. Cornelia rode one while Irma and I rode on another.

"Hang on, Irma dearest!" I said as I started up the jet-ski's engine. Irma wrapped her arms around me smiled.

"Here we go!" I said as we started to accelerate. Cornelia got going seconds before we did, and we pulled alongside her.

Cornelia waved at Irma, who made a funny face before we pulled away. We stayed out riding the jet-skis for at least a half-hour before we went back. We then spent the rest of the day relaxing, (and getting a tan), on the beach. That night, we went back to the ship, which set out to head back to Miami.

**Day 6**

We decided to head to the Vault disco for some fun. Five songs later, the Macarena song began to play. "Wow, even nowadays, this song is still popular!" Irma said as we began doing the dance. After the song, a romantic song began to play.

Irma and I slow-danced for a majority of the song, then Cornelia danced with Irma while I had a soda at the disco's bar.

After we left the disco, we decided to spend some time at the ship's mall(the Royal Promanade). It was as tall as any mall I've been to on land, stretching over Decks 6, 7 and 8. After a few hours, we decided to relax and sunbath on Deck 11.

We first went back to our stateroom to get our swimwear and suntan lotion. I slipped on my jet-black trunks and applied suntan lotion on myself while waiting for the girls. Irma then came out in her blue bikini. "Hey honey, could you put some on my back?" Irma asked.

"Sure thing, dear, I'd love to." I replied as I started putting lotion on Irma's back. "Whoo, that tickles!" Irma quipped as I spread the lotion all over her back. Cornelia then came out in her green bikini. Irma then proceeded to put suntan lotion on her.

After we were ready, we went up to the top deck and found a reclining bench big enough for all three of us. We relaxed for about twenty minutes before we headed back inside. We had dinner at another one of the restaurants before heading back down to the observation deck.

We sat in that same bench to watch the sunset. "Wow, it's beautiful." Irma said as she put an arm around my shoulder.

"Yeah, it is" I replied as put my arm around her shoulder.

"This is so romantic, for all three of us!" Cornelia said as she put her arm around Irma's other shoulder.

"I know, I've always wanted to have a moment like this!" Irma said as she put her other arm around Cornelia's shoulder.

"Yeah, me too!" I replied. "Same here, and to think, tomorrow, we'll be on our flight back home." Cornelia added.

"Oh, I love you guys!" Irma said as she tightened her grip around us.

"We love you too, Irma!" Cornelia and I said as we both kissed Irma on the cheeks. At that moment, we headed back inside and relaxed for a few minutes before climbing into bed.

**Day 7(Arrival)**

We woke up at around 6:45AM today and went up to the top deck. We could barely see the Florida shoreline on the horizon. "There it is, The Florida coastline!" Cornelia said.

"Yeah, and to think, by this afternoon, we'll be on a plane headed for Heatherfield. We went inside to explore the ship one last time. We spent some time in the ship's mall before spending a half-hour at the Shipshape fitness center on Deck 11 to work out.

After that, we went back to our stateroom to relax. "Shall we watch a movie before we get to shore?" Cornelia asked. "Sure, sounds good!" Irma replied. "Yeah, and since this is your special day, you get to choose." I added.

Irma put in a action movie. Two hours later, after the movie ended and as we relaxed, the ship docked at the cruise ship terminal in Houston. As we disembarked, Cornelia wrapped Irma and me in a tight hug.

"Thanks for bringing me along." She said as we hugged her back.

"No problem, you deserved it." Irma said.

"Yeah, we couldn't leave you out of the fun even if we tried!" I joked as we left for the airport. We caught another Continental Airlines flight to get to Heatherfield. Once we arrived, we invited Will and the others over to our house so we could tell them about the fun we had over the last week. We had no idea that the next decade would be so intense, it would make this war look gentle.


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue 

Captain Steve Conway, who was shot down by a SAM just as the war began, was rescued by a fishing boat bound for San Francisco. After he got to Miramar, he was informed of the war and, thinking that it was for the best, he left the Navy to spend quality time with his family. Two years after the events of North Korea, Shadow 1, the lead aircraft that Robert and Irma piloted during the war, was sent to the Pensacola Naval Air Museum, where it will remain on display forever, as a tribute to those who bravely flew into battle and won. Over the next two years, the other couples eventually got married. The future looked bright for all of the former pilots.

Shadow Squad Pilot kill scores (by type)

Plane air ground ships Pilot rank/name/callsign

Shadow 1 25 20 8 Capt. Robert Castellanos "Blaze"

Shadow 2 21 12 8 LCDR. Kim Possible "Hero"

Shadow 3 23 13 6 LCDR. Will Vandom "Heart"

Shadow 4 16 8 5 LCDR. Hay Lin "Hurricane"

Shadow 5 18 15 3 LCDR. Crystal Gomez "Lion"

Shadow 6 15 6 4 LCDR. LiZ Gyona "Killer"

Shadow 7 12 17 7 LCDR. Caleb Hale "Rebel"

Shadow 8 15 2 4 LCDR. Brick Flagg "Archer"

Shadow 9 05 -- -- Lt. Martin Tubbs "Lightning" (KIA)

Squad totals: 150 (air) 101 (ground) 48 (ships)

Number of Shadow squad planes lost: 6

Number of Shadow squad pilots killed: 1

Kill Ratio among all U.S. forces: 20:1

THE END


End file.
